ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare Bill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific advice her Department has received on whether to include cephalopods within the remit of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA officials have considered numerous reports on whether cephalopods experience pain and suffering, but the current scientific evidence is not clear-cut. Before making a decision, we intend to await the outcome of a European Union review of Directive 86/609/EEC relating to the use of cephalopods in scientific research.
	If future research shows that cephalopods can in fact experience pain and suffering, there are powers within the Animal Welfare Bill to extend the definition of an animal to include such invertebrates.

Batteries

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of batteries were recycled in each European Union country in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on percentage of batteries recycled in European Union countries is not readily available for all battery chemistries. Member states have not been required to provide this in the past. However, officials are in the process of acquiring this data.
	Portable battery (small consumer type batteries—used in phones, clocks, watches, cameras) collection rates are available for 2002 for the following countries:
	
		Collection rate as percentage of sales in 2002
		
			  
		
		
			 Austria 44 
			 Belgium 59 
			 France 16 
			 Germany 39 
			 Netherlands 32 
			 Sweden 55 
			 Spain 14 
			 UK 0.5

Batteries

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department will spend on research into the disposal of batteries in each of the next three years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 17 January 2006
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are currently undertaking work to determine the most cost effective way to meet the collection targets set out in the forthcoming EU Batteries Directive. They are aiming to look at ways of ensuring that this is done without incurring excessive costs for any of the businesses involved in the collection and recovery or disposal of batteries. The work is being funded by Defra's BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste) programme with just under £600,000 spent in 2005. We are about to determine funding for the next three years as part of departmental business planning.

Beavers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) progress of the reintroduction of the beaver to Gloucestershire and (b) its compatibility with the British ecosystem.

Jim Knight: The Department is continuing to hold constructive discussions about the project in Gloucestershire which, to the Department's knowledge, is keeping the beavers in captivity and is therefore not a re-introduction project.
	The re-introduction of beavers into the wild in England would require a licence under section 16(4) of the 1981 Act. As part of the application process for such a licence, an impact assessment would have to be undertaken to consider the possible consequences for the local environment (such as forestry, farming, fishing, public health), impacts on local biodiversity and also to consider issues such as liability or compensation payments.

Biodiesel (Environmental Impact)

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental impact assessment has been carried out into the process that converts vegetable oils into biodiesel of diesel quality.

Elliot Morley: The most common process for converting vegetable oil into biodiesel is trans-esterification. This process is well known from years of use in the oleochemical sector. However, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership will be looking at the specific environmental impacts of biodiesel processing as part of their work on developing draft environmental standards for biofuels. The impacts in terms of pollution to air, land and water are controlled by the Environment Agency. A pollution prevention control permit is required where biodiesel is being produced for own-use by six or more people or for commercial operations producing more than 5,000 litres a year. The processing of biodiesel from waste cooking oil and tallow is also subject to waste management controls. Various studies have assessed the greenhouse gas impact across the whole production process from raw material to finished biodiesel. UK-produced biodiesel typically gives greenhouse gas savings of around 55 per cent. compared to fossil diesel.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make provision for those cattle that react following a skin test to have a blood test before they are required to be slaughtered.

Ben Bradshaw: The current skin test for bovine tuberculosis is an effective test. It is the accepted standard laid down in both national and international legislation for determining the existence of the disease in a cattle herd. Under EU law, the gamma-interferon diagnostic blood test may be used to supplement the skin test. It is considered marginally more sensitive than the skin test, but less specific. This means that it results in a higher probability of false positives. EU legislation allows for the gamma-interferon test to be used to pick up cases missed by the skin test, but not to overrule it.
	Preparations are being made for wider use of the gamma-interferon test (in prescribed circumstances). A Gamma-interferon Working Group has been established to prepare and deliver a policy for increased use of the test.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the minutes of the discussions she has had with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra Ministers have not held any recent discussions on bovine tuberculosis with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on badger culling to eliminate bovine TB.

Ben Bradshaw: No decision has been made on culling badgers to control bovine tuberculosis (TB) in England. We are still consulting both on the principle and the method of a badger culling policy in areas of high TB incidence in cattle.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial savings she has estimated will be made over (a) two, (b) five, (c) 10 and (d) 15 years from the planned closure of Centre for Ecology and Hydrology sites; and what the cost to her Department will be over each period of obtaining the services previously provided by those centres.

Elliot Morley: Defra would not make any savings over (a) two, (b) five, (c) 10 and (d) 15 years from the proposed closure of Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) sites. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research Council, which receives grant in aid funding from the Department for Trade and Industry. As well as funding from NERC, CEH also obtains external funding for commissioned research.
	Defra contracts research to CEH and the current contractual agreements would continue to be delivered.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) financial and (b) scientific impact of the proposed closure of each of the five centres for Ecology and Hydrology on research into (i) emergent diseases, (ii) invasive species, (iii) climate change, (iv) Avian influenza, (v) GMO release, (vi) sea level rises and (vii) monitoring biodiversity; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The aim of the restructuring proposal for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is to ensure its long-term sustainability which would ensure continued capacity for environmental research in the UK into the future. The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has confirmed that the scientific programmes for the restructured CEH would remain as:
	Biodiversity
	Water
	Biogeochemistry
	Climate Change
	Sustainable Economies
	Environmental Informatics
	Defra contracts research to CEH and the current contractual agreements would continue to be delivered.
	NERC is currently consulting widely with stakeholders and I am sure that NERC council will consider all evidence and views on the potential impact of the proposals.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the closure of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology on (a) the amount of independent research undertaken into climate change and (b) capabilities for the long-term collection and analysis of environmental and ecological data necessary to reveal the effects of climate change; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is only one of a large number of institutions undertaking climate change research for, and providing long-term environmental and ecological datasets to the Department. We believe that the restructuring that the Natural Environment Research Council has proposed for CEH would not reduce the amount of independent research into climate change nor reduce capabilities for the long-term collection and analysis of environmental and ecological data available to the Department.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact that proposed Centre for Ecology and Hydrology closures will have on the Government's ability to maintain and improve the environment; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is one of a large number of institutions undertaking scientific research for the Department. We believe that the restructuring that the Natural Environment Research Council has proposed for CEH would not reduce the amount of scientific research capability available to the Department. Consequently there should be no loss to our ability to be able to maintain or improve the environment.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent to which the proposed Centre for Ecology and Hydrology closures will affect the capacity of the Government (a) to react to environmental issues across the geographic range of the United Kingdom and (b) to monitor biological diversity in different regions.

Elliot Morley: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is only one of a large number of institutions undertaking climate change research for, and providing long-term environmental and ecological datasets to the Department. We believe that the restructuring that the Natural Environment Research Council has proposed for CEH would not reduce our capacity to react to environmental issues across the geographic range of the United Kingdom nor affect our ability to monitor biological diversity in different regions.

Chewing Gum

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which councils have applied to join the Department's scheme tackling the problem of chewing gum litter.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not yet know which local authorities have applied to take part in the campaign as the closing date for applications is 3 February.

Chewing Gum

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Government decided not to introduce a tax levy on the price of chewing gum as part of its proposals for tackling chewing gum litter.

Ben Bradshaw: Taxation is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am however, not convinced that a levy on gum, which would be paid by those who dispose of their gum correctly as well as those that do not, would be a fair way of funding the costs of cleaning discarded gum from the streets.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan dated 27 August 2005 regarding his constituents Mr. and Mrs. W. Ritchie (DEFRA ref 223198).

Ben Bradshaw: A reply was sent on 27 October 2005. I will arrange for you to receive a further copy.

Departmental Transport

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2376W, on departmental transport, if she will place a copy of the revised Travel Plan for her Department in the Library.

Jim Knight: A copy of the revised Travel Plan for the Defra building at Merrow, Guildford will be placed in the Library of the House.

Energy Efficiency Directive

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets she has set for energy efficiency gains under the Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive by (a) 30 June 2007, (b) 30 June 2011 and (c) 30 June 2014.

Elliot Morley: The Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive is expected to enter into force in May this year following publication in the Official Journal. Member states will then have two years to transpose the Directive's requirements into domestic legislation. The Directive provides for an indicative energy-savings target for every member states of 9 per cent. over the nine-year period from 1 January 2008. Within that period member states must set one intermediate target for the third year of application consistent with achievement of the overall target. The decision about what that intermediate target should be in the UK has not yet been made and will be determined during the implementation process.

Fisheries

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what formal approaches she has made to the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the effect on UK salmon stocks of drift netting off the coast of Ireland.

Ben Bradshaw: I have discussed this issue with the Irish Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on a number of occasions. I have urged on him the need to take steps to reduce the impact of the salmon driftnet fishery on salmon returning to English and Welsh rivers.

Flood Protection/Alleviation

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent (a) in England and (b) in the Ouse catchment area on flood protection and alleviation measures by (i) the Government and (ii) City of York council in each year since 1996–97.

Elliot Morley: Defra funds most of the Environment Agency's flood related work and grant aids individual capital improvement projects undertaken by local authorities and, in low-lying areas, internal drainage boards. The programme to manage risk is driven by these operating authorities; Defra does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on what specific projects to undertake.
	Prior to April 2004 most of the Environment Agency's flood defence funding came from levies paid by local authorities. These levies have now largely been replaced by direct funding from Defra. Local authorities still pay some levies to the agency and also continue to fund other flood defence related work; such expenditure is supported by the local government funding mechanisms operated by what is now ODPM.
	Table 1 shows total central and local government expenditure on flood protection and alleviation measures in (a) England and (b) the Ouse catchment area. This includes expenditure on flood defences, flood warning, research and development etc. but excludes expenditure on measures primarily to reduce risk of coastal erosion (which can also sometimes help reduce flood risk).
	
		Table 1 -- £ million
		
			  England  
			  Defra grant and other expenditure Local authority expenditure Ouse catchment(1) 
		
		
			 1996–97 54.6 196.1 0.26 
			 1997–98 53.5 213.3 0.39 
			 1998–99 42.3 221.9 0.49 
			 1999–2000 41.6 236.1 0.59 
			 2000–01 51.0 251.3 0.98 
			 2001–02 69.8 269.4 1.59 
			 2002–03 91.2 287.5 1.69 
			 2003–04 93.4 309.2 3.97 
			 2004–05 376.9 73.8 3.97 
		
	
	(1) Defined as Environment Agency expenditure within the Ouse catchment between the confluence with the River Ure and the confluence with the River Derwent. Defra grant to local authorities and/or internal drainage boards within the Ouse catchment could not be determined without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Table 2 shows revenue (i.e. non-capital) spend by City of York council on their own flood defence measures and on special levies to internal drainage boards. The Council's expenditure is limited to investment in the Ouse catchment area.
	
		Table 2 -- £000
		
			  Flood defence revenue expenditure  IDB special levies 
		
		
			 1996–97 21 352 
			 1997–98 11 345 
			 1998–99 307 353 
			 1999–2000 50 361 
			 2000–01 73 391 
			 2001–02 106 453 
			 2002–03 81 480 
			 2003–04 98 484 
			 2004–05 114 504 
		
	
	Notes:
	Data for 2003–04 and 2004–05 were collected on a Financial Reporting Standard 17 (FRS17) basis. Figures before this were collected on a non-FRS17 basis so are not directly comparable to the 2003–04 and 2004–05 data.
	Source:
	ODPM Revenue Outturn (RO) forms—RO4/RO5 data.

Racehorses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will commission research on the animal welfare implications of whipping race horses.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has no plans to commission a survey on the animal welfare implications of whipping racehorses.

Landfill

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's landfill policy.

Ben Bradshaw: Landfills are a major source of emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—and also a potential pollution hazard requiring careful management. For this reason landfill lies at the bottom of the waste hierarchy, and thus represents the least favourable management route for most wastes. The Government has targets under the EU Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill to 75 per cent. of 1995 figures by 2010 and to 35 per cent. by 2020. The Government seeks to discourage all landfill—including that of commercial waste—through the landfill tax escalator. Landfill remains, however, the best management route for certain wastes in certain circumstances and, indeed, the only available option for some others (such as heavy sludges from industrial processes).
	The Government is currently undertaking a review of its wider waste strategy, for which the consultation document will be published shortly.

Nuclear Waste

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government plan to dispose of the nuclear waste stored in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Programme, jointly sponsored by UK Government and the devolved Administrations, the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRAWM) has been established to advise on the best option, or combination of options, for the safe long-term management of the UK's higher activity radioactive waste. The committee is due to deliver its recommendation in July 2006. Low level radioactive waste is already disposed of in various ways, most notably to the national disposal facility close to the village of Drigg in Cumbria.

Pesticides

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to help stop foreign farm workers from being exposed to dangerous pesticides.

Elliot Morley: UK pesticide and health and safety legislation provide a high degree of protection to all those, irrespective of their origin, whose work in the UK requires them to handle or use pesticides. Specific guidance is given in the Statutory Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products.
	In addition a number of other schemes have been established to protect the health and safety of migrant workers. These include the recently revised Seasonal Workers' Scheme (SAWS) operated by the Home Office and the establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and its supporting legislation. The GLA will look specifically at health and safety issues as part of their inspection of labour providers and any breaches of Health and Safety legislation will be referred to the relevant body.

National Poultry Register

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that poultry owners register their flocks on the national poultry register.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are working closely with a wide range of interested parties to promote the GB poultry register and to make poultry keepers aware of the requirements of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (No 2) Regulations 2005. Over 40,000 leaflets have been distributed to poultry keepers and advertisements have been placed in a number of poultry and countryside magazines. DEFRA has also distributed posters to veterinary surgeries, MPs, livestock markets and auctioneers, and to Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) staff. In addition, state veterinary service colleagues, in the course of their day to day duties, are reminding poultry keepers of their obligation to register.
	As we approach the 28 February deadline, we will consider what further action needs to be taken; for example, proactive visits to premises to remind poultry keepers of their obligations.

Pre-movement Testing

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the veterinary profession on its capacity to undertake large-scale pre-movement testing.

Ben Bradshaw: [holding answer 26 January 2006: The Department has had a number of discussions with various stakeholders on this issue. The veterinary profession was represented on the independently chaired Pre-Movement Testing Stakeholder Group and the issue of veterinary capacity was given careful consideration. Pre-movement testing will be introduced in two phases as a result of recommendations made by the Group.
	Defra officials also met with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) twice during the development of policy on pre-movement testing. The BVA did not express any concern about veterinary capacity to deliver pre-movement testing.

Reusable Products

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy to promote reusable products over single-use disposable products.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government has no such policy overall, but the reuse of suitable products is strongly encouraged.
	The Environment Agency has carried out work to compare the lifecycle impacts of disposable and reusable nappies.

Tail Docking

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the inclusion of a ban on dog tail docking in the Animal Welfare Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: The law currently permits the docking of dogs' tails by veterinary surgeons. Although the Government is inclined to support the status quo, we appreciate there are genuine views held on both sides of the debate and believe that the status of tail docking should be for Parliament to decide.
	The views expressed during the Second Reading and in the Standing Committee considering the Animal Welfare Bill were strongly in favour of a complete ban on the docking of dogs' tails, while some members argued for an exemption for working dogs. As a result, we are currently considering how best we can provide all MPs with the opportunity to express a view as the Bill proceeds through the House.

TRACES

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the EU-wide computer system, TRACES, records (a) which species are imported, (b) the country of origin of imported species, (c) whether imported animals and birds are captive-bred or wild-caught and (d) the level of mortality among imported animals and birds.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 January 2006
	TRACES records which species are imported and the country they are imported from. It does not distinguish between captive-bred or wild-caught birds, nor does it show the level of mortality among imported animals and birds.

TRACES

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether information gathered by the EU-wide computer system, TRACES, is available to the public in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 January 2006
	The information gathered by TRACES is only directly available to Member States' Competent Authorities and Official Veterinarians. Registered traders have the option of using the system to request export certification.

TRACES

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she is making to other EU member states about the merits of an improved system to monitor imports of animals and their products into the European Union.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 January 2006
	In 2004 a computerised system to record imports of animals and animal products into the European Union, known as TRACES, was introduced by the European Commission. Officials from DEFRA are closely involved in the continued development of the system. The UK is represented at meetings with the Commission and other member states to discuss issues associated with the effective operation of the system.

Waste Paper

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on minimising waste paper within the Department.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 1954W.

Wild Bird Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the European Commission on its progress in reviewing policy on importing wild birds into the European Union.

Ben Bradshaw: All imports of live birds and their products, from countries which have notified Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), have been banned. In addition, the EU has agreed a temporary ban, now extended to 31 May 2006, on the imports of all wild birds from any other countries. Additional restrictions on captive pet birds coming in with their owners have also been imposed.
	The Government are considering the conclusions of the Dimmock report (the Independent Review of Avian Quarantine) which said that imports of captive birds should be permitted as a ban might divert imports to illegal, un-quarantined, channels which would pose a greater risk. Discussions are continuing with stakeholders and the European Commission to find a longer-term solution to the problems associated with the importation of wild birds.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Prosecutions (Northern Ireland)

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions in Northern Ireland have been abandoned for national security reasons in each of the last 30 years, broken down by charge.

Mike O'Brien: National security is only one of a number of factors that may have contributed to a decision to discontinue a prosecution in the public interest. To provide this information would require the individual examination of the file of every case discontinued in the public interest. The information requested is not centrally recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) produced its own 'Season's Greetings' in 2005 at a cost of £2,102.09 for 7,000 copies. As individual teams from across DFID were responsible for mailing out cards to stakeholders and contacts, to obtain information relating to postage charges would incur a disproportionate cost.

Ethiopia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on UK aid to Ethiopia.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness to the statement I made on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 49WS.

Global Fund

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding the UK Government has allocated for the Global Fund for each of the next five years.

Gareth Thomas: The UK has committed £359 million to the Global Fund for the period 2002 to 2008. Our contribution in 2005 was £51 million, which brings our total contribution to date to £159 million.
	Over the next two years we have pledged to provide £100 million to the Global Fund for 2006 and £100 million for 2007 to support the Fund's estimated resource needs of US$7 billion for this period. The two-year total of £200 million represents 8.4 per cent. of the total pledged to date (ie. £3.4 billion) and 5.1 per cent. of the US$7 billion. This is above our Gross National Income (GNI) fair share and is consistent with our past support. The UK is currently the fourth largest donor for the period 2006–07; after France, the US and Japan, and the second largest in the EU.

Good Governance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote good governance in the developing world; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Good governance is at the core of DFID's work to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)s. This recognises that developing and transitional states' ability to achieve the MDGs and eliminate poverty will depend greatly on the quality of their governance.
	DFID encourages improved governance and assists with governance reforms through specific programme activities, aid allocations and use of different ways of delivering aid. DFID's work supports seven broad areas: political systems that extend opportunities to poor people; economic management that brings stability and facilitates investment; delivery of policies that benefit the poor; raising revenue and delivering public services; maintenance of safety security and justice; national security; and accountability and tackling corruption. Governance reforms need to be prioritised, achievable and appropriate to context.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of International Development will be speaking about governance and its role in eliminating poverty on February 2nd at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. I will ensure a copy of his speech is sent to the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton).

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Water Aid on the impact of its work of the closure of the British embassy in Madagascar; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of the British embassy on the sustainable development of Madagascar.

Hilary Benn: I have had no discussions with Water Aid on the impact of the closure of the British embassy in Madagascar on its work. British interests in Madagascar are currently represented by an Honorary Consul. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office are in the process of accrediting the British high commissioner in Port Louis, Mauritius, as non-resident ambassador to Madagascar.
	As DFID does not have a bilateral development programme with Madagascar the closure of the embassy is unlikely to have any effect on the sustainable development of the country.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department intends to take to support Madagascar's programme of development and good governance.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a bilateral development programme with Madagascar, but we provide significant support through our share of European Union and multilateral agencies' development programmes. In 2003 (the latest figures we have), the UK's imputed share of multilateral aid going to Madagascar was £33.9 million, primarily through assistance from the World Bank, European Commission and United Nations agencies.

Pension Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) Executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Gareth Thomas: Following the response I gave to the hon. Member on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 1962W; I now wish to submit the following answer.
	The question asked about the cost of pension contributions incurred by my department, my response stated that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development was not responsible for any non-departmental government bodies, executive agencies or other public body, this is factually incorrect; my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State is responsible for the following non departmental public bodies:
	Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK
	Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board
	Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board
	There are however, no pension contribution costs incurred in respect of these bodies.

Zimbabwe

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which British Government aid programmes were conducted through the Government of Zimbabwe between 1997 and 2003; and what their total value was.

Hilary Benn: Between 1997 and 2003 DFID supported some 60 projects in Zimbabwe which involved the Government and public sector organisations, with a total spend of £145 million. These projects ranged from a substantial sexual health project with a commitment of £9 million to initiatives on anti-corruption involving grants as little as £10,000. Sectors included health, education, water and sanitation, agriculture, forestry, livestock, wildlife and tourism, infrastructure, private sector development, civil society, justice, public reform, local government and public finance.
	DFID suspended development assistance to the Government of Zimbabwe in 2002, in protest of the continuing disregard for democratic principles and mismanagement of the economy by the Government of Zimbabwe. Since that time, DFID has supported the international response to the humanitarian and HIV/AIDS crisis in Zimbabwe, through funding to United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations, but has provided no funding to the Government of Zimbabwe.

TRANSPORT

A1 (Roundabout Removal)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to begin on the roundabout removal on the A1 at (a) Apleyhead and (b) Blyth.

Stephen Ladyman: The anticipated start dates for works for the Apleyhead and Blyth junctions subject to the availability of funds and the satisfactory completion of the appropriate statutory procedures are:
	A1/A614 Blyth junction improvement—June 2006
	A1/A57/A614 Apleyhead junction improvement—July 2006.

A11 (Dualling)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on the dualling of the A11 between Fiveways Roundabout and Thetford; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 384W.

A27

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) locations and (b) reported consequences of injury crashes on (i) the eastbound and (ii) the westbound sections of the A27 west of Worthing between the 40 mph sign and the Hammerpot junction in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table lists the reported consequences of the recorded injury accidents on this stretch of road.
	
		
			  East-West  West-East 
			  Fatal Serious Slight Total Fatal Serious Slight Total Total 
		
		
			 2002 0 3 4 7 0 1 3 4 11 
			 2003 0 4 1 5 1 0 5 6 11 
			 2004 1 0 6 7 0 1 5 6 13 
			 2005(2) 0 3 2 5 0 0 2 2 7 
			 Total2418 42 
		
	
	(2)On this stretch of road up until end of October 2005 where information has been validated.
	A map detailing locations of accidents from January 2002 to October 2005 on the A27 west of Worthing to the Hammerpot junction, a distance of approximately 4.5 km, has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

A3 (Hindhead)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will accept the recommendation of the South East of England Regional Assembly Regional Transport Board's recommendation with regard to the A3 at Hindhead; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We expect to respond to the South East Region's advice on its priorities for major transport schemes, including improvement of the A3 at Hindhead, during the spring.

Airlines (Tax Treatment)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the revenue from fuel tax that would have been received in each of the last three years by the Government if airlines had been subject to the same tax treatment as public transport bus companies.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	A discussion paper published jointly by HM Treasury and the Department for Transport in March 2003, entitled 'Aviation and the Environment: using economic instruments', considered the role of economic instruments and the environmental costs of aviation. This was also considered in 'Air Transport White Paper, The Future of Air Transport', published on 16 December 2003 and in chapter 5 of 'Aviation and Global Warming', published by the Department for Transport on 10 February 2004.
	The Air Transport White Paper set out the conclusions of the Government's analysis, including our view that aviation should be brought within the ED emissions trading scheme by 2008, as the most effective way of tackling the climate change impact. Along with other measures to tackle local environmental impacts, this will help to ensure that the air transport sector meets its environmental costs.
	Under the terms of the Chicago convention, it is illegal to tax fuel for international flights, and so the Government have not undertaken an analysis of the potential revenue implications that would result from taxation of fuel used on international flights. Also, figures for aviation turbine fuel consumption for specific flight services are not collected. It is therefore not possible to estimate the potential revenue effect of applying the same tax treatment to the domestic aviation industry as to public transport bus companies. The Government anyway does not accept such direct comparisons as valid as they assume no change in demand or to the working practices of the aviation industry.

Airports

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which airports in the UK do not have airbridge facilities; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such airports.

Karen Buck: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The CAA has advised that, of the 143 UK aerodromes currently licensed by the CAA, 12 have airbridge facilities.
	The provision of airbridges is not a licensing issue. It is a matter for each airport operator itself to determine whether to invest in this equipment.
	The 12 airports with airbridge facilities are:
	Cardiff,
	Newcastle,
	Heathrow,
	Gatwick,
	Stansted,
	Manchester,
	Birmingham,
	Edinburgh,
	Glasgow,
	Aberdeen,
	Belfast International,
	Leeds Bradford.

Borough Market Site

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has made to the planning inquiry for the Borough market site.

Stephen Ladyman: None. As the Secretary of State will be jointly responsible with the Deputy Prime Minister for determining the various applications relating to Network Rail's Thameslink project, the Department wishes to avoid prejudicing these decisions. We presently await the Inspector's report.

Bus Services

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus services were operated from (a) York, (b) Selby and (c) Tadcaster (i) in May 1997 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) do not hold data which identifies the start and finish points of registered local bus services for 1997.
	The current figures are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 York 81 
			 Selby 24 
			 Tadcaster 14

Bus Services

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus services have been withdrawn in South Manchester since 1997.

Karen Buck: The data kept by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency on registered bus services does not differentiate between South Manchester and the rest of the North Western Traffic Area.
	The following table represents the number of bus services cancelled in the North West Traffic Area from 1 April 1998. Information prior to this date could not be recovered without disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Financial year Cancellations 
		
		
			 1998–99 790 
			 1999–2000 842 
			 2000–01 1,048 
			 2001–02 666 
			 2002–03 578 
			 2003–04 584 
			 2004–05 589 
		
	
	An application which is cancelled is one which has been accepted by the Traffic commissioner, commenced running and at a later date the operator has applied to cease operating.

Cabin Air Supply

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask the Civil Aviation Authority to investigate organophosphate contamination of cabin air supply on commercial aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology did an investigation, which reported in November 2000 and said:
	The absence of confirmed cases of tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) poisoning from cabin air and the very low levels of TOCP that would be found in even in the highly unlikely worst case of contamination from oil leaking into the air supply lead us to conclude that the concerns about significant risk to the health of airline passengers and crew are not substantiated."
	In 2004 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published research into fume events by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Porton Down and the (then) Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. That concluded that
	'no single component or set of components can be identified which at conceivable concentrations would definitely cause the symptoms reported in cabin air quality incidents'.
	But acids were found which could act as irritants, and as a result CAA brought in specific troubleshooting and maintenance actions to minimise the potential for fume events.
	The inter-departmental Aviation Health Working Group has recently arranged for the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) to review further evidence which the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has collected. This process is under way and should help us to specify any further research needs in an area where public funds have already been invested without finding a link between cabin air and long-term health problems.
	Meanwhile, some research is starting in the USA funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. Government officials are in touch with the research team to monitor progress. In principle, we are interested to join in international research when we have a clearer idea of the needs, and we shall review our position on the American project after the COT has held a formal meeting in public in the spring.

Car Insurance

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions have resulted from the campaign to target motorists driving without insurance.

Stephen Ladyman: The latest figures available are for the year 2003 when there were 320,937 convictions for uninsured driving.
	No further figures are yet available for the year 2004, nor for the period since June 2005 when we began the introduction of new measures to tackle uninsured driving.

Congestion (West Midlands)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a league table to highlight the most congested roads in the West Midlands.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport will shortly be publishing journey time reliability data for individual roads on the strategic road network in England operated by the Highways Agency. These data will form the baseline for the new public service agreement target for the Highways Agency network. Performance on a sample of 25 of the most important roads in the West Midlands will be monitored as part of the Public Service Agreement relating to movements on a sample of routes in the ten largest urban areas in England. These data will not be presented in the form of a league table.

Cycling Accidents

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children under the age of 16 years have (a) died and (b) received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident in each of the past 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of child pedal cyclists (aged 0–15) who were killed or seriously injured as a result of personal injury road accidents between 1995 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), is given in table.
	
		Child pedal cyclists (aged 0–15) killed or seriously injured in personal injury road accidents: 1994 to 2004
		
			 Year of accident Fatalities(3) Seriously injured 
		
		
			 1995 48 1,201 
			 1996 54 1,177 
			 1997 33 983 
			 1998 32 883 
			 1999 36 914 
			 2000 27 731 
			 2001 25 649 
			 2002 22 572 
			 2003 18 577 
			 2004 25 552 
		
	
	(3) Deaths within 30 days of the accident
	Information on the child pedal cyclists (aged 0–15) who received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident is not available.

Cycling Accidents

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the number of children who are killed or receive a serious head injury as a result of cycling accidents.

Stephen Ladyman: Our policy is to persuade cyclists to protect themselves by wearing helmets. We concentrate our paid publicity on teenage and child cyclists. The Department developed the 'Cycle Sense' safety campaign encouraging teenagers to wear cycle helmets, other safety issues are also addressed. The campaign consisted of a new website, posters and a supporting TV filler film. A new campaign is planned for summer 2006. Aimed at younger children, the 'Cycle Smart' campaign for seven to 10-year-olds is a series of posters and a comic that use Disney characters to communicate simple cycle safety messages, including helmet wearing. The latest edition was released in summer 2003 and we launched a new website, in partnership with Disney, on 18 March 2005. A new campaign is also planned for later this year.
	In addition, the current version of the highway code includes a section for drivers on road users requiring extra care, including cyclists. We strongly advise parents to encourage their children to take cycle training, and not to let them out on the roads until they are clearly competent to handle their cycles safely. We have also established a new national standard for cycle training with more than 20 road safety bodies.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the items valued at over £100 that have been reported as stolen from buildings occupied by his Department in the past 12 months.

Karen Buck: Items reported as stolen, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2005, which have a value of more than £100 are listed below:
	
		£
		
			 Item Value 
		
		
			 8 flat screen computer monitors 3,081 
			 2 tool kits and cases 200 
			 1 overhead projector 300 
			 Computer parts removed from desks 190 
			 7 laptop computers 8,600 
			 1 printer 170 
			 1 desktop computer 1,000 
			 1 personal organiser 300 
		
	
	All buildings have appropriate security measures in place including both a manned presence at some locations or remote monitoring and response arrangements elsewhere. Incidents are reviewed and action taken to risk assess the need for improved security in that location in accordance with Government guidelines. The majority of incidents have also been reported to the police.

Driving Instructors

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the results of his Department's review of the regulatory arrangements for approved driving instructors.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department's Road Safety Strategy, Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone", commits the Government to raising the standard of tuition offered by driving instructors. The Driving Standards Agency has commissioned three pieces of independent research into occupational standards for driving instructors and their continuing professional development. This can be viewed on the Agency's website. The Agency is currently engaged in discussion with the industry's consultative groups on how best to take these matters forward.

DVLA (Data Protection)

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the making available to third parties against payment by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of data relating to the owners of vehicles is consistent with the Data Protection Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Data Protection Act exempts from its non-disclosure provisions the release of information where the law allows it. Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002, permits the release of information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's vehicle register to the police, to local authorities and to those who can demonstrate 'reasonable cause' for receiving the information. 'Reasonable cause'' is not defined in legislation and requests are considered on their merits.
	DVLA works closely with the Information Commissioner to ensure that disclosure is fair and lawful. The Information Commissioner has published guidance on his website.
	I recently announced a review of these regulations and this will commence shortly.

Gatwick Express

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the Gatwick Express.

Derek Twigg: Proposals relating to Gatwick Express will be made in the context of the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). An announcement about publication of the RUS will be made shortly.

Green Travel Plans

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what national target he has set for the number of (a) employers and (b) public sector employers implementing the Green Travel Plans by 2009.

Karen Buck: We have put in place a requirement in the planning system that significant new developments, both for the public and private sectors, should have a staff travel plan. However, the implementation of travel plans by employers for existing sites is voluntary. We have not therefore set a national target for their introduction. Instead, we promote the business case and other benefits of travel plans through our publications, conferences and other events.
	Under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, Government Departments were mandated to implement sustainable travel targets to reduce CO 2 emissions through a range of measures. These included reducing both road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by at least 10 per cent. and single occupancy car commuting to the workplace by 5 per cent. by 2006, against a baseline year of 2002–03. The Framework is currently being reviewed in order to deliver a step change in the way the Government manages its land and buildings sustainably.

Heathrow (Sustainable Development)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the air pollution impact of the introduction of mixed mode at Heathrow in advance of the publication of the report from the project for the sustainable development of Heathrow.

Karen Buck: Work is still in hand to develop proposals for the possible introduction of mixed mode at Heathrow, prior to consultation. Air quality impacts will be assessed drawing on the outcome of the work of the air quality technical panels, whose report is currently being finalised.

Highway Code

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the consultation on the next update of the Highway Code will begin.

Stephen Ladyman: The consultation on the next update of the Highway Code will begin in the next few weeks.

Housing Development (Mid-Sussex)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much is being allocated from the Community Infrastructure Fund to support transport infrastructure related to planned housing development in mid-Sussex.

Karen Buck: None. The Community Infrastructure Fund was established to support transport infrastructure costs that enable faster housing development in the four growth areas announced in the 'Sustainable Communities Plan' (Thames Gateway, Milton Keynes South Midlands, London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough and Ashford).

Humber Bridge

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment of the purpose the Humber Bridge would serve was made in advance of its construction.

Stephen Ladyman: The construction of the Humber Bridge was enabled by legislation—the Humber Bridge Act 1959 as amended by the Humber Bridge Act 1971—promoted by a consortium of Humberside local authorities.
	It was for those authorities to assess the role the Bridge would serve.
	A report entitled 'Humberside: A Feasibility Study' was produced by the Central Unit for Environmental Planning in 1969 (published for the then Department of Economic Affairs). This report considered the likely need for major development in the Humberside area in the 1980s—based on estimates of population growth in the UK—and concluded that there was a case for a Humber Bridge being built by 1976 to facilitate improvements to Humberside's economy and underwrite the area's value for major development.

Lighthouse Keepers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lighthouse keepers there are in Great Britain.

Stephen Ladyman: None. The automation of all lighthouses over the last 30 years has made the role of the lighthouse keeper defunct. The lights are monitored by the General Lighthouse Authorities' operation centres in Harwich and Edinburgh and require little or no maintenance outside the annual maintenance regime.

London Airports

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the airports within a 100 mile radius of London that take commercial air traffic; in each case what the existing weekly capacity for flights is; and to what percentage of that capacity each airport is operating in relation to (a) wide bodied jets, (b) commercial passenger aeroplanes and (c) executive and personal jets.

Karen Buck: This information is not held centrally in the form requested. However, information on aircraft movements at those airports is available from the Civil Aviation Authority website at: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2004Annual/Table_03_1_ Aircraft_Movements_2004.pdf

M42

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles on average use the (a) northbound and (b) southbound sections of the M42 between (i) junction 5 and junction 6, (ii) junction 6 and junction 7, (iii) junction 7 and junction 8 and (iv) junction 8 and junction 9 each day.

Stephen Ladyman: The average daily traffic flows between the specified junctions of M42 are as follows. The figures are taken from data collected in 2005:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Junctions 5–6  
			 Northbound 65,000 
			 Southbound 66,900 
			 Junctions 6–7 
			 Northbound 63,500 
			 Southbound 68,400 
			 Junctions 7–8 
			 Southbound 49,600 
			 Junctions 8–9 
			 Southbound 44,400 
		
	
	Similar data is not currently available for M42 northbound between Junction 7 and 9. A traffic monitoring facility for this stretch of road is in the process of being commissioned.

National Safety Camera Programme

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the locations identified by the National Safety Camera Programme where casualties on roads with speed cameras have increased; and what steps he is taking to reduce the casualty rates in these locations.

Stephen Ladyman: Details of all the cameras in England and Wales operating in the National Safety Camera Programme as at 31 March 2004, including those where casualties had increased, were published in June 2004 alongside the three-year evaluation of the National Safety Camera Programme. This information is on the Department's website.
	It should be recognised that at any individual location there is some element of chance variation in the number of serious accidents between one year and the next, so it would be wrong to conclude automatically that a camera is not effective. However, the Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales for 2005–06 published in November 2004, requires partnerships to, at least annually, review the effectiveness of existing camera sites and to specifically consider sites where there appears to be a continuing problem of high numbers of collisions, notwithstanding the use of cameras, to assess whether further or different action should be taken.
	In these instances partnerships should consider what alternative cost-effective engineering or other solutions should be implemented to tackle the problem instead of, or in addition to, the cameras. Solutions might include greater speed enforcement, road improvements, traffic calming or road safety education and information measures. Operational cases for 2005–06 indicated that as a result some 104 camera sites were being stood down.
	An updated Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the National Safety Camera Programme for 2006–07 has today been published on the Department's website. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. This requires partnerships to keep existing sites under review.

Office of Rail Regulation

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Derek Twigg: As at Monday 16 January 2006, the Office of Rail Regulation employed 135 people.

Port of London Authority (Consultation) Harbour Revision Order

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons hon. Members representing constituencies with riparian areas were not consulted prior to the making of the Port of London Authority (Consultation) Harbour Revision Order 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In line with statutory requirements applications for Harbour Revision Orders are advertised in the London Gazette and local newspapers. It is not current practice to inform MPs separately about Harbour Revision Orders.

Private Aircraft

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many privately operated aircraft have landed in airports in the UK in each of the last five years; and what information is collected on the operators of private aircraft.

Karen Buck: The CAA publishes aircraft movement data compiled from returns by UK airports in their Annual UK Airport Statistics report. The number of privately operated movements, which have landed at or taken off from UK airports, is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Total number of private movements (for all UK reporting airports) 
		
		
			 2004 221,096 
			 2003 231,722 
			 2002 212,982 
			 2001 247,361 
		
	
	These figures exclude private movements operated by aero-club members for instruction or pleasure, on which the CAA also collects data. Data for 2005 are not yet available.
	As private flights are not required to seek the prior permission of a State to overfly, land or make non-traffic stops the Department does not hold information for these flights. However, the individual airports, as well as air traffic management providers (NATS Ltd. and Eurocontrol), do keep records of aircraft movements for their own purposes.

Rail Franchises (Value for Money)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1150W, on train operating companies, what the benefits are whose delivery is monitored and enforced through continuous management of franchise contracts with train operating companies.

Derek Twigg: Franchise contracts place a wide variety of obligations on train operators associated with the provision of franchised services. In many cases they also prescribe penalties for non-compliance. Franchise contracts are managed and monitored to ensure that these obligations are delivered and that subsidy, premium payments and liabilities are managed in the interests of the taxpayer.

Road and Public Safety

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisation is responsible for road and public safety matters between the start of a new development and the date when roads are adopted by the local highways authority.

Stephen Ladyman: Where there is a new development such as a housing estate or a business park which provides for public access the responsibility for road and public safety matters principally lies with the owner of the site. This will usually be the developer until the properties are sold after which the owners of the properties fronting the road will become responsible for maintaining it until it is adopted as a publicly maintainable highway by the relevant highway authority. While the road remains unadopted, the relevant street works authority can serve a notice requiring the owners of premises fronting the street to execute such works to obviate danger to traffic using it as may be specified in the notice within a prescribed time. Should the works not be carried out in the required timescale the street works authority may carry out the works itself and recover the costs from the owners of the relevant properties.
	In addition, the local traffic authority has a duty to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic, including pedestrians. This applies to all highways and roads to which the public has access, irrespective of whether or not the road has been adopted as a public highway.
	The relevant police authority will also have a responsibility for safety matters in its area.
	Where the new development is a new highway intended for use by the public and does not impinge on an existing highway the highway authority promoting the new highway and which makes the orders in relation to the construction of the new highway is the authority responsible for road and public safety matters during the construction stage as well as after adoption of the road as a public highway.
	When the new development is an improvement to an existing highway, depending upon the circumstances, either the highway authority promoting the improvement to the highway or the traffic authority which regulates the use of the existing highway is the authority responsible for road and public safety matters. Usually the relevant highway authority and the relevant traffic authority are the same authority.
	Who the relevant highway authority or the relevant traffic authority is will depend upon the location of the highway development, the classification of the highway (i.e. local road, trunk road or special road) and the nature of the development.

Road Gritting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance the Government issues to local authorities on the gritting of roads during cold weather; and if he will (a) place a copy in the Library and (b) provide a weblink to the documents.

Karen Buck: The Government strongly recommend that local authorities carry out winter maintenance, including gritting, in accordance with Section 13 of Well-maintained Highways, Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management" published by the UK Roads Liaison Group in July 2005. A copy of this is in the Library, and it is also available electronically at www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org

Road Improvements (Stonehenge)

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) Ministers and (b) officials last met representatives of the National Trust to discuss road improvements at Stonehenge; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: There have been no recent meetings of Department for Transport Ministers with the National Trust at which road improvements at Stonehenge have been discussed.
	An official from the Highways Agency and representatives from the National Trust attended the last meeting of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Committee on 29 November 2005 at which progress with the A303 Stonehenge Review was discussed.

Road Improvements (Stonehenge)

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was to (a) his Department and (b) the Highways Agency, to the end of July 2005, of preparatory work on the A303 Stonehenge improvement scheme.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has spent £14.1 million on preparatory work with its suppliers since awarding the contract for the Stonehenge improvement scheme in March 2002 up until end-March 2005.
	This figure does not include HA salary and other costs which would be difficult to apportion. Similarly, it is not possible to apportion DfT salary and other costs on developing the scheme.

Road Pricing Framework Division

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the scope and remit is of the Road Pricing Framework Division within his Department; how many persons (a) are and (b) are planned to be employed therein; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Road Pricing Framework Division is a new division established within the Department for Transport's Roads, Regional and Local Transport Group in January 2006.
	The purpose of the division is to take forward work on the technical systems and standards that will need to be developed to support the piloting of road pricing.
	It is planned that the division will employ up to 13 full-time equivalent members of staff. Seven posts have already been filled.

Road Safety (Barnsley/Doncaster)

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities there have been in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster in each of the last 10 years as a consequence of road traffic accidents.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of fatalities in personal injury road accidents in the Metropolitan Districts of Barnsley and Doncaster between 1995 and 2004 (the last year for which figures are available) are shown in the table.
	
		Fatalities(4) in Barnsley and Doncaster districts: 1995–2004.
		
			  Barnsley Doncaster 
		
		
			 1995 18 21 
			 1996 11 20 
			 1997 11 13 
			 1998 11 10 
			 1999 4 23 
			 2000 14 15 
			 2001 14 15 
			 2002 15 11 
			 2003 11 18 
			 2004 14 16 
		
	
	(4) Deaths within 30 days of the accident.

Road Transport Fuel Obligation

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the design of a certification scheme for the sustainability of the sources of fuel to be accepted within the proposed Road Transport Fuel Obligation.

Stephen Ladyman: We have made clear from the outset that we want the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to promote the use of the most environmentally beneficial forms of biofuel. We are discussing with stakeholders how best to achieve this.
	In the meantime, we have asked the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership to take forward two separate but related pieces of work in this area, both of which have been part-funded by this Department. The first is the development of an agreed and user-friendly methodology to allow the carbon savings from different biofuels to be calculated. The second is the development of a sustainability assurance standard for all biofuels.

Safe Driving Skills

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what modern learning techniques have been developed by the Driving Standards Agency since September 2005 to help learners develop safe driving skills.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is always looking at new and innovative ways of helping drivers to learn and prepare for their tests. Earlier this year the DSA launched a revised version of its free information DVD Are You Ready?" This is sent to all categories of theory test candidate with the appointment letter. The DVD explains the nature of the different parts of the driving test and the standards that candidates need to reach.

Thames Gateway Port Project

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on the Thames Gateway Port project of the possible takeover of P&O by Dubai World Ports; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: None. The potential change in ownership of P&O does not affect the application for the port. The proposed harbour empowerment order would involve the establishment of London Gateway Port Limited as a separate new statutory harbour authority, the London Gateway Port Harbour Authority.

Thameslink 2000

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what stage the approval by his Department of the Thameslink 2000 project has reached; what the estimated cost of the project is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The public inquiry into the Thameslink 2000 project was re-opened between 6 September and 7 December 2005, following the submission of fresh applications by Network Rail to address deficiencies in the scheme identified by the original inquiry.
	The Inspector is currently preparing his report on the re-opened inquiry for submission to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Deputy Prime Minister, who are jointly and severally responsible for determining the various consent applications required to implement the project. We expect to receive the Inspector's report in March. We also expect to receive in the spring a report from London Travelwatch on the railway closures required to implement the project. The estimated cost of the project is £2.7 billion at 2001 Quarter 2 prices.

Transport 2010 Document

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will update Table A3 of the Transport 2010 document published in July 2000 with actual totals for the years 2000–01 to 2004–05.

Karen Buck: The Department for Transport (DfT) no longer records spending in the same way as presented in Table A3 of the Transport 2010 and so comparable figures are not available. The latest outturn figures for public spending by DfT for each year from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 are set out in Tables A1-A3 of DfT's Annual Report 2005 (Cm 6527, June 2005).

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel on duty in Afghanistan were injured in (a) action and (b) accidents, broken down by severity of injury, for each year since UK forces have been deployed there.

John Reid: In the period 1 to 25 January 2006, no UK Service personnel have been categorised as very seriously ill/injured (VSI) or seriously ill/injured (SI) as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan in any circumstances. The information for previous years is not held centrally and will take some time to collate.
	I will write to the right hon. Member when the figures are available and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	The Ministry of Defence intends to publish casualty figures for Afghanistan from 1 January 2006 onwards, identifying the number of personnel categorised as SI and VSI, on its website in the coming weeks, and to update them regularly.

Aircraft Cannibalisation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cannibalisations of (a) C-130 Hercules, (b) Tristars, (c) VC-10s and (d) C-17A Globemasters occurred in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The removal of serviceable parts from one aircraft for use on another is a routine and temporary measure to ensure that the maximum number of aircraft are available to the front line.
	The number of these instances over the last five years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 
		
		
			 Tristar 74 102 119 122 118 
			 VC10 196 322 242 254 314 
			 C17 40 56 65 61 29 
			 C130K 113 145 116 (5)177 (6)No data 
			 C130J 879 638 848 1717 (6)No data 
		
	
	(5) April to December data only.
	(6) C130 data is not available before April 2002.

Apache Helicopter Fleet

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the job satisfaction of Apache helicopter (i) qualified pilots and (ii) engineers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to retain the services of Apache helicopter (a) qualified pilots and (b) engineers for (i) the full three year term of their posting and (ii) a longer period; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: There has been no specific research commissioned to evaluate the job satisfaction of Apache pilots or engineers, though job satisfaction across the Army is monitored through the Continuous Attitude Survey. This survey has been in place for over 20 years and is based on a stratified random sample of personnel and sent out twice a year. The surveys are analysed by occupational psychologists.
	Apache pilots are required to sign a four year 'Training Return of Service' from the start date of their conversion course. This means the individual cannot leave the service for that period of time.
	Aircraft and avionics technician trades are required to sign a three year 'Training Return of Service' from the completion of basic technician training. Technicians who progress in grade sign a further two year 'Return of Service'.
	There are financial retention incentives for certain aircrew for all aircraft types and the eligibility is generally connected to length of service. These are in the form of taxable lump sums at particular stages of career and in certain circumstances with the advantage of an enhanced pension scheme.
	Across the Army a range of financial and non-financial retention measures have been put in place which include improvements to service housing and the Operational Welfare Package.

Armed Forces (Divorce Rates)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the divorce rates have been in each of the armed forces since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Available information is shown in the following table on the annual divorce rates of Army and RAF personnel:
	
		Percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Army1 
			 Officers (7)— (7)— 0.9 1.1 0.9 1.4 1.1 1.0 
			 Other ranks (7)— (7)— 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.7 2.7 
			 RAF 
			 Officers (7)— 1.0 0.9 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.2 
			 Other ranks (7)— 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.8 2.0 
		
	
	(7) Denotes not available.
	Source:
	DASA (Tri-Service)
	Figures are for UK regular forces, and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time reserve service personnel, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists.
	Rates are calculated as a percentage of the average married strength during the calendar years.
	For the years 1999, 2000 and 2001, annulments are excluded from the calculations for divorce rates, as the information is not available. The remaining years include annulments in their calculation.
	Naval Service marital status data is not available.

Armoured Infantry Units (Trade Pay)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend trade pay for crews in armoured regiments to armoured infantry units.

Don Touhig: The current armed forces pay structure, known as pay 2000, does not use the 'trade pay' system. Instead it places each rank within each and every trade into either a higher or lower pay band, based upon job weight.
	All Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) trades have undergone job evaluation within the last two years. As a result, from 1 April 2006 the only differences in pay banding between the infantry and RAC will be at colour sergeant rank where the infantry are in the lower band, and RAC staff sergeants (the equivalent rank) are in the higher band, and at corporal rank where infantry corporals are in the higher band and RAC crewmen are in the lower range. Infantry soldiers are paid in the higher band at all ranks except private and colour sergeant.

Army Battalions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the full strength establishment is of each battalion of the British Army; and what the actual complement of each battalion was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Don Touhig: The following table shows the Army by arm/service compared to the liability. The infantry strength is broken down by regiment, but the liability is not defined individually for infantry regiments. However, the strength and establishment figures for whole infantry and Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) by individual battalion are not held centrally and to collate these data would incur disproportionate costs.
	Of the arms/services within the Army it is only the infantry and REME that have units categorised as 'battalions'.
	
		Full-time trained strength of the Army (including full-time reserve service (FTRS) as at 1 December 2006 compared to the liability
		
			 Arm/service Liability Strength Strength as percentage of liability 
		
		
			 Staff 720 810 112 
			 The Household Cavalry/ Royal Armoured Corps 5,790 5,560 96 
			 Royal Regime of Artillery 7,480 7,410 99 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 9,460 8,780 93 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 8,440 8,640 102 
			 The Infantry 24,620 24,520 100 
			 of which:
			 Grenadier Guards — 740 — 
			 Coldstream Guards — 760 — 
			 Scots Guards — 680 — 
			 Irish Guards — 600 — 
			 Welsh Guards — 580 — 
			 Royal Scots — 570 — 
			 Royal Highland Fusiliers — 580 — 
			 Kings Own Scottish Borderers — 570 — 
			 Black Watch — 630 — 
			 Highlanders — 590 — 
			 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders — 560 — 
			 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment — 1,300 — 
			 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers — 1,270 — 
			 Royal Anglian Regiment — 1,310 — 
			 Kings Own Royal Border Regiment — 610 — 
			 King's Regiment — 590 — 
			 Prince of Wales' Own Regiment — 640 — 
			 Green Howards — 610 — 
			 Queen's Lancashire Regiment — 680 — 
			 Duke of Wellington's Regiment — 650 — 
			 Devonshire and Dorset Regiment — 590 — 
			 Cheshire Regiment — 540 — 
			 Royal Welch Fusiliers — 650 — 
			 Royal Regiment of Wales — 580 — 
			 Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment — 620 — 
			 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment — 610 — 
			 Staffordshire Regiment — 590 — 
			 The Light Infantry Regiment — 1,280 — 
			 Royal Green Jackets — 1,260 — 
			 The Parachute Regiment — 1,990 — 
			 The Royal Irish Regiment (General Service) — 640 — 
			 Others — 650 — 
			 Army Air Corps 2,010 1,980 98 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 130 140 102 
			 The Royal Logistics Corps 15,700 15,680 100 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 3,270 2,810 86 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 9,680 9,730 101 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Provost Branch) 1,800 2,010 112 
			 Adjutant Generals Corps (Staff and Personnel Support Branch) 4,040 4,440 110 
			 Adjutant Generals Corps (Educational and Training Services Branch) 290 340 119 
			 Adjutant Generals Corps Royal (Army Legal Service) 120 100 83 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 190 190 97 
			 Small Arms School Corps 140 150 105 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 420 370 89 
			 Intelligence Corps 1,550 1,440 93 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 420 440 105 
			 General Service Corps (8)— (8)— (8)— 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 1,080 840 78 
			 Corps of Army Music 880 940 107 
			 Long Service List 480 620 128 
			 Unallocated (8)— 10 (8)— 
			 Total trained regular Army and FTRS 98,710 97,940 99 
			 Gurkhas 3,090 3,360 109 
			 Full-time trained Army 101,800 101,300 100 
		
	
	(8) Denotes zero or rounded to zero
	Notes:
	1. FTRS figures include full, limited and home commitment.
	2. Figures exclude home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reserves, Territorial Army and other reserves.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	4. Liability is based on the Regular Army liability 2009.

Bottle-nosed Whale

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the bottle-nosed whale calf which died during the attempted rescue on January 21 was forced up the Thames by (a) sonar from a naval vessel or (b) explosions at Shoeburyness.

Adam Ingram: No Royal Navy ships were operating military sonar in the area of the Thames estuary or the North sea on 21 January 2006 or in the days immediately preceding 21 January 2006.
	An independent company specialising in noise and vibration monitoring, has advised that the impact of Ministry of Defence activities at Shoeburyness on the marine environment at Shoeburyness is miniscule compared to the impact of everyday shipping in the area. We have no evidence to suggest that our use of Shoeburyness forced the whale up the Thames.

Compensation (Japanese Detainees)

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it was the intention when the scheme for compensating British civilian detainees of the Japanese was established that detainees with no blood link to the UK would not be included in the scheme.

Don Touhig: When the scheme was first announced in November 2000, it was intended that payments would be made only to those British civilian internees who could demonstrate a close link with the United Kingdom at the time of internment. In March 2001, this close link was defined in terms of the individual or one of his or her parents or grandparents having been born in the UK. This definition was made public in July 2001 and has become known as the birthlink criterion. My Department is currently undertaking a review of the scheme to establish what criteria were used for claims from British civilian internees that were decided before the introduction of the birthlink definition. I will report the outcome to the House.

Contractors

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of the 41 contractors listed on 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1177W were awarded follow-on contracts; and in cases where re-let contracts resulted in a new contractor, what the financial returns (percentage of basic material price) to his Department or the Treasury were from (a) the original and (b) the new contractors;
	(2)  whether the one case of arbitration referred to on of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1177W, has been finally settled.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 January 2006
	Of the 41 contractors listed on 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1177W, four (Serial Nos. 3, 7,16 and 36) hold or have held follow-on contracts, although not for precisely the same scope of service as for the initial contracts. The contracts are incentivised" agreements that allow contractors to retain a percentage of the final sale price of those items declared surplus to requirements. The information requested on financial returns is commercially confidential and as such is being withheld.
	The arbitration referred to 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1177W, has not been settled.

Defence Training Review

Patrick McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that are likely to be created in the West Midlands if DCAE Cosford is selected as a preferred site in the Defence Training Review.

Don Touhig: The Defence Training Review programme is currently evaluating the bidding consortia's proposals. No estimation has yet been made of the number of jobs that may be created in the West Midlands as a consequence of the DTR programme. Such an estimation is dependant upon bidder's training and estates solutions, including proposed training efficiencies and the scale of distributed learning. This work will not be completed until the evaluation phase has concluded in about spring 2006.

Defence Training Review

Patrick McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account will be taken of (a) existing training resources in aerospace, ICT and engineering industries, (b) location and (c) proximity to local labour markets in evaluating sites bidding in the defence training review.

Don Touhig: As part of the Defence Training Review programme, comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the bidding consortia's proposals is underway judged against defined evaluation criteria. This includes an assessment of bidders' compliance with the total requirement and the quality and deliverability of their proposals.

Defence Training Review

Patrick McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the (a) further and high education sectors and (b) manufacturing companies of the Defence Training Review.

Don Touhig: The Defence Training Review (DTR) programme is currently evaluating the bidding consortia's proposals. The impact on further and higher education sectors and manufacturing companies depends on bidders' training and estates solutions, the extent to which the education and manufacturing sectors are drawn into training design, delivery and support and the exploitation of third party opportunities and revenue. Until the evaluation phase is complete and a decision has been taken to select a preferred training partner, I am not in a position to make any detailed comment on the wider impact of the DTR solution.

Departmental Estate

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) land and (b) property is owned by his Department in Forest of Dean constituency.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence owns the following estate within the Forest of Dean constituency:
	Beachley Barracks, Chepstow.
	Gloucestershire Volunteer Estate:
	Coleford Army Cadet Force, Coleford.
	Newent Army Cadet Force, Newent.

Departmental Estate

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) property and (b) land is owned by his Department in North East Milton Keynes constituency.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence does not own or lease any land or property in the North East Milton Keynes constituency. However the Territorial Army, which is funded by the Department, lease the Territorial Army Centre off Yeoman's Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997.

Don Touhig: Comprehensive and detailed information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as 'refreshments' are not treated as a discrete expenditure item and are made available in a range of circumstances. I am, however, able to provide limited information, specifically on refreshments for committee meetings, for the period 1997–98 to 2001–02, when such expenditure was recorded separately. This is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Committee refreshments (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 0.249 
			 1998–99 0.345 
			 1999–2000 0.481 
			 2000–01 0.485 
			 2001–02 0.472 
		
	
	It should be noted that all expenditure of this nature is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

Departmental Staff (Castle Point)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff employed by his Department live in Castle Point.

Don Touhig: Data on the residential location of civilian personnel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Helicopter Deployment (Afghanistan)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military helicopters he is planning to make available in support of the projected deployment of British forces to Helmand Province in Afghanistan; and what type of helicopters he plans to make available.

John Reid: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 1531, about the deployment of our armed forces to Afghanistan.

HMS St. Albans

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) security and (b) cost implications are of the unauthorised disclosure of the future deployment details of HMS St. Albans.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 26 January 2006
	To mitigate the security risk arising from the inadvertent disclosure of HMS St. Alban's deployment details, some changes to the ship's programme have been made. These changes are being implemented at no additional cost.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel signed disclaimers before taking nerve agent pre-treatment tablets during Operation Telic; and what warnings were given to service personnel about potential side effects before they signed the disclaimers.

Don Touhig: Ministry of Defence policy is that no personnel are asked to sign disclaimers before being issued with, or taking nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets.
	A Patient Information Leaflet detailing the potential side-effects of the tablets is issued to personnel with the tablets.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how nerve agent pre-treatment tablets were administered during the 2003 invasion of Iraq on Operation TELIC; what records of their administration were kept; and what monitoring of potential side-effects took place.

Don Touhig: Self-administration of NAPS is one of the crucial life-saving protection measures that can be taken in a situation where a nerve agent attack is a possibility.
	Nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets were issued to personnel by their commanders, and self-administered on command. Operational commanders were given the authority to decide when troops should start and stop taking NAPS in order that the use of the countermeasure could be adapted to meet the threat situation at the time.
	Due to the policy of self-administration of NAPS tablets, as opposed to administration by a medical officer, no records of their administration are kept.
	All Service personnel receive training on the importance of taking NAPS in theatre and instructions for the use of NAPS are well publicised to command and medical staff.
	The use of NAPS on Operation TELIC ceased in April 2003. As at 30 April 2003, no serious adverse events had been reported through epidemiology and theatre reporting systems.

International Security Assistance Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the policy of NATO is relating to the rendition of terror suspects detained by International Security Assistance Force; and what agreement has been reached between NATO and the Afghan Government relating to arrest and detention of suspects in Afghanistan.

John Reid: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers given on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1805W and 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 1982W to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram).

International Security Assistance Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made by NATO to ensure that terror suspects detained by Afghan authorities will be treated in compliance with international law.

John Reid: ISAF policy is that individuals detained should be handed over to the Afghan authorities at the first opportunity and within 96 hours, or released.
	It is of course the primary responsibility of the Afghan Government to treat individuals it detains in accordance with international law. But as NATO prepares to expand in the south of Afghanistan it is discussing detention issues with the Afghan Government with the aim of agreeing a comprehensive policy in full compliance with international law.

Kosovo

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts regarding the Council of Europe request to inspect Bondsteel camp in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Defence Ministers have not had any discussions with their NATO counterparts regarding the Council of Europe's request to inspect Bondsteel Camp in Kosovo.

Meteorological Office

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the consultees who were given the opportunity to respond to the proposed new option four of the Met Office's proposals to change its civil centre forecast production network.

Don Touhig: The original Met Office consultation period began in July 2005 when details of the options for consultation were circulated to Met Office staff, customers, stakeholders and parliamentarians.
	Details of the prospective new option 4—which was developed as a result of feedback from responses to the original phase of consultation (5 July 2005 to 20 October 2005)—were circulated to the same group of Met Office staff, customers, stakeholders and parliamentarians in October 2005. The consultation document was also available on the Met Office external website and was therefore effectively available for anyone to access.

Porton Down

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a funding agreement to be concluded between the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory and Defence Estates on remediation work at Porton Down.

Don Touhig: An informal agreement has already been reached between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and Defence Estates to allow work on the remediation of the Porton Down site, which commenced in early 2005.
	It is anticipated that this agreement will be formalised with effect from 1 April 2006 and, subject to review as deemed necessary, remain extant until 31 March 2015.

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 16W, on private finance projects, what the (a) capital value, (b) annual revenue cost, (c) start date and (d) end date is of each private finance initiative and public private partnership project his Department is undertaking.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The information is provided in the following table. However, you should note:
	that the table contains an updated list of PPP projects including details of projects signed since the answer given on the 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 16W;
	that the Contract End Date, as given in the following table, is generally based upon the date that the contract was entered into. However, for certain projects, the Contract End Date is calculated from the date that the service provided under the contract becomes fully operational";
	that the annual revenue cost of projects is commercially sensitive information and cannot therefore be provided. However the MOD Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 provides details of the total payments made for PFI projects for the last two years and includes future service payment commitments.
	The information that you request cannot be given for projects that are either being considered or in procurement as the information has not yet been determined or is commercially sensitive.
	
		
			 Project name Contract entered into Contract end Contract period Capital value (£ millions) 
		
		
			 Army Foundation College (AFC) February 2000 December 2029 30 73 
			 ASTUTE Class Training Service (ACTS) September 2001 January 2037 36 80 
			 Attack Helicopters Training—Apache Simulator Training July 1998 September 2027 19 165 
			 Bristol, Bath and Portsmouth Family Married Quarters November 2001 September 2028 25 78 
			 C vehicles October 2004 April 2021 15 114 
			 Central Scotland Family Quarters (HQ) August 1999 January 2021 20 25 
			 Colchester February 2004 February 2039 35 539 
			 Commercial Satellite Communication Service—INMARSAT March 2001 March 2006 20 3 
			 Defence Animal Centre (DAC) August 2000 August 2025 25 11 
			 Defence Electronic Commerce Service (DECS) July 2000 July 2010 10 9 
			 Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) July 1997 July 2012 10 70 
			 Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) December 1996 March 2012 15 73 
			 Defence Housing Executive—Information Systems (DOMIS) October 2001 September 2010 10 12 
			 Defence Intelligence System (DIS)/Information System (Touchstone) June 1999 September 2006 7 5 
			 Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC) June 2003 August 2033 28 20 
			 Devonport Support services ARMADA January 2004 January 2029 25 45 
			 Electronic Messaging System (Armymail) April 1997 April 2007 10 33 
			 Field Electrical Power Supplies (FEPS) July 2002 July 2022 20 74 
			 Hawk Simulator December 1997 December 2015 18 19 
			 Hayes PFI Project—Records Storage and Management September 2003 September 2028 25 11 
			 Hazardous Stores Information System (HSIS) October 1997 October 2007 10 1 
			 Heavy Equipment Transporters (HET) December 2001 December 2021 20 58 
			 Joint Services Command and Staff College June 1998 August 2028 20 93 
			 Light Aircraft Flying Training (LAFT) (Bulldog) April 1999 March 2009 10 20 
			 Lynx Aircrew Training July 2000 July 2025 25 15 
			 Main Building Refurbishment May 2000 May 2030 30 345 
			 Marine support to Range and Aircrew Services December 2001 December 2012 10 12 
			 Material Handling Equipment (MHE) August 2002 July 2010 8 9 
			 Material Handling Equipment (MHE)—(Follow on) May 2002 May 2010 8 12 
			 Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility (MSHATF) October 1997 October 2037 40 114 
			 MOD-wide Water and Waste Water Project (Aquatrine)—Package A April 2003 November 2028 25 154 
			 MOD-wide Water and Wastewater (Project Aquatrine)—Package B September 2004 March 2030 25 86 
			 MOD-wide Water and Wastewater (Project Aquatrine)—Package C October 2004 March 2030 25 364 
			 Naval Communications June 2000 January 2030 27 58 
			 NRTA Fire Fighting Training Units April 1999 April 2019 20 23 
			 Portsmouth Housing 2 October 2005 July 2032 25 33 
			 RAF Cosford and Shawbury Family Quarters March 1999 June 2025 25 15 
			 RAF Fylingdales (Power) December 1998 December 2023 25 8 
			 RAF Lossiemouth Family Quarters June 1998 September 2019 20 25 
			 RAF Lyneham Sewerage August 1998 August 2023 25 4 
			 RAF Mail November 1998 November 2008 20 12 
			 RAF Sentry E3D Aircrew July 2000 December 2030 30 7 
			 Skynet 5 October 2003 February 2018 15 1,079 
			 Storage Facilities April 1996 January 2011 15 22 
			 Strategic Sealift (Ro-Ro Ferries) June 2002 December 2024 25 175 
			 TAFMIS (IT) August 1996 August 2007 10 41 
			 Tidworth Water and Sewerage February 1998 August 2018 20 5 
			 Tornado GR4 Simulator June 1999 June 2031 32 62 
			 Tri Service Materials Handling Service June 2000 June 2010 10 35 
			 Tri Service White Fleet January 2001 January 2011 10 40 
			 Wattisham Married Quarters May 2001 March 2028 25 34 
			 Yeovilton Family Quarters July 1998 July 2028 30 8

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated (a) capital value, (b) annual revenue costs, (c) start date and (d) end date is of each (i) private finance initiative and (ii) public private partnership projects under consideration by his Department but not yet signed.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2006
	HM Treasury defines public private partnerships as privately financed projects and other forms of joint ventures, but excludes prime contracts, partnering and other outsourcing deals.
	The Ministry of Defence has a forward programme of 16 private finance initiative (PFI) projects that are either under consideration or in procurement. Of these, 10 projects have progressed to various stages in the procurement process as shown in the following list. Further information on the status of individual projects is available on the MOD's PFI website at http://www.mod.uk/business/ppp/pfi_database.htm. The estimated capital value, annual revenue cost, start date and end date of these projects has either not yet been determined or is commercially sensitive and is not therefore on the website at present. Further information will be added to the website as decisions are taken.
	Invitation to Negotiate Issued
	Brize Norton Area Serviced Accommodation
	Corsham Development Project
	Defence Training Review (DTR)
	Future Provision of Marine Services (FPMS)
	MOD Estates in London (MODEL)
	UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS)
	Preferred Bidder
	Allenby/Connaught
	Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA)
	Northwood Headquarters
	Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME)

Psychological Trauma

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure armed forces personnel receive assistance from medical professionals for issues relating to physiological trauma.

Don Touhig: Physiological trauma may arise as a result of any physical injury or illness, including environmental injury, and its treatment is an integral part of the medical care and support given to injured armed forces personnel by members of the Defence Medical Services.
	When deployed on operations, United Kingdom forces are supported by a range of in-theatre medical facilities, staffed by fully-qualified military medical personnel. These are capable of providing immediate treatment in theatre, and are backed up by fast and efficient medevac procedures to return personnel to the UK for further treatment as necessary.
	On return to the UK, injured personnel will be given the treatment they need, usually through one of the MOD's Ministry of Defence hospital units attached to NHS hospitals. When necessary, follow-up treatment is provided through specialist units such as the 15 regional rehabilitation units (RRUs) in the UK and Germany, and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court, which provides world-class medical care, rehabilitation, prosthetics and adaptations for service personnel. Where there are psychological consequences, further treatment is provided through one of 15 MOD Departments of community mental health located in the UK (plus other satellite centres overseas), or if necessary through in-patient care at Priory Group facilities, with whom there is close liaison.

QinetiQ

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the proceeds of the QinetiQ flotation will (a) be reinvested with his Department and (b) go to the Treasury.

John Reid: The Treasury and the Ministry of Defence have agreed that the MOD will be able to retain a substantial proportion of the QinetiQ receipts for reinvestment in the defence programme. The precise proportion to be retained by the MOD will not be determined until the actual value of the overall receipt from the sale is known.

QinetiQ

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether royalties being paid to QinetiQ/Defence Evaluation and Research Agency for the use of intellectual property rights and research before privatisation will continue to be paid to new owners.

John Reid: The Ministry of Defence does not pay royalties to QinetiQ for MOD's own use of intellectual property generated as a result of MOD contracts. The MOD has free rights to such information for its own use or for use by its contractors for defence and security purposes. The MOD also has rights to disclose such information to other Governments for international co-operation purposes. All these rights apply regardless of whether the work was carried out by DERA or by QinetiQ, and they are not affected in any way by the Initial Public Offering (IPO). These arrangements are consistent with those for all other defence contractors undertaking research under contract for MOD. Existing royalty arrangements in place between QinetiQ/DERA and other parties will also not be affected by the IPO. The shareholders, including the Government, will continue to benefit from the value generated by these payments.

QinetiQ

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the proceeds from the flotation of QinetiQ will be re-invested in defence research.

John Reid: The Treasury and the Ministry of Defence have agreed that the MOD will be able to retain a substantial proportion of the QinetiQ receipts for reinvestment in the defence programme. The precise proportion to be retained by the MOD will not be determined until the actual value of the overall receipt from the sale is known. The allocation of this money within the MOD will be determined by the normal planning process.

QinetiQ

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions he has placed on QinetiQ's use of technology funded by his Department for third party contracts.

John Reid: Should QinetiQ wish to use the United Kingdom Government-funded technology in third party contracts, arrangements established in July 2001 allow the Ministry of Defence to prevent transactions that it judges would cause an unmanageable conflict of interest or otherwise be contrary to the defence or security interests of the UK. These arrangements will remain in place after the initial public offering in QinetiQ.

Radioactive Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funds his Department has made available in each year since 1997 to help facilitate the treatment of legacy radioactive waste of military origin held at (a) Sellafield and (b) other civil nuclear sites; and what plans he has to provide such funding in the future to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 26 January 2006
	Due to the complex nature of the treatment of legacy radioactive waste of military origin, I am unable to give details of the funding as this will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member when I have the information and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	As part of the transfer of the Ministry of Defence's historic nuclear liabilities to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (through the Department of Trade and Industry) the MOD will be transferring £624 million covering the period of financial years 2005–06 to 2007–08. All responsibility for bids for future funds now rests with the NDA.

Royal Ordnance Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many products produced by Royal Ordnance Chorley have been strategically stockpiled by (a) Royal Ordnance and (b) his Department.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 19 January 2006
	Information on ammunition natures held in the strategic stockpile is classified information and as such is withheld as disclosure would not be in the national interest. Any requirement for BAE Systems Land Systems to stockpile ammunition for its own purposes is a matter for the company.

Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last occasion was on which (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) military personnel met the director general of the National Trust to discuss Stonehenge road issues; and what was discussed.

Don Touhig: Ministers have not met with the director general of the National Trust (DG/NT) to discuss Stonehenge road issues. At DG/NT's request, the chief executive of Defence Estates (CE/DE), met with her on 11 January 2006. DG/NT wanted to explore possible options for re-routing the A303 in the Stonehenge area, and for a further meeting to be arranged between officials. The Department's current plans for the area were explained, and it was made clear that Salisbury plain and the surrounding garrison towns would continue to be required as military sites for the foreseeable future.
	NT and DE officials met on 16 January. NT hoped to identify a broad corridor that avoids the archaeological features between the A303 and Larkhill. DE officials reiterated the advice already given and undertook to examine NT proposals in detail, but emphasised that this was an interdepartmental issue.
	Vice-Admiral Dunt (CE/DE) is a serving officer; no other military personnel have been involved in the meetings.

Training and Evaluation Capabilities

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to conclude the review of air training and evaluation capabilities.

Adam Ingram: A review of the air test and evaluation process and its impact upon the delivery of military capability is due to be reported to senior officials in early 2007.
	The Ministry of Defence future requirement for the air test, evaluation and training services capability provided by QinetiQ under a long-term partnering agreement is also being assessed as part of the first quinquennial review of the contract.

War Pensions Committee

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a war pensions committee panel is to be set up in respect of the case of the late Lieutenant William Norbury and his widow.

Don Touhig: No war pensions committee has received a formal request. A war pensions committee panel will be set up on receipt of a formal request from Mrs. Norbury.

War Pensions Committee

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is within the remit of war pensions committee panels to determine appropriate sums to be paid in respect of past periods for which war disability pensions were not paid due to errors.

Don Touhig: It is not within the remit of war pensions committees (WPCs) to determine amounts to be paid to pensioners. The WPCs are advisory bodies who can hear complaints and make recommendations to the Veterans Agency for consideration.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

General Election Expenditure

Graham Allen: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if the Commission will review the limits on expenditure for candidates in general elections; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: In its report on The funding of political parties" published in 2004, the Electoral Commission identified a need to review the balance between party and candidate spending limits at all relevant elections. The Commission will consider how to take forward the recommendations it made when the Government have responded to the report.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Magazines/Periodicals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which magazines and periodicals have been delisted from the Library in each month in the last two years; and for what reason.

Nick Harvey: In 2003–04 the Library carried out a review of periodicals. Such reviews are carried out at regular intervals with the aim of ensuring that the Library's holdings continue to reflect Members' needs in the most cost-effective way.
	During the review use of periodicals was recorded over a 12-month period. As a result many periodicals that were no longer being used widely were cancelled, titles taken in duplicate were reduced where practicable, with copies held in the place of greatest use, and a number of closed runs were disposed of. £29,000 of savings have been redeployed to meet new needs, including subscriptions to electronic sources. Out of 1,400 titles 419 current subscriptions were cancelled and a further 319 closed runs of older titles agreed for disposal. Some cancellations were made during the summer of 2004, and the majority came into effect in January 2005, when existing annual subscriptions ended. The large majority of cancelled titles were not kept on display in the Members Library as they were of marginal interest and not in demand. The Library has subsequently received a small number of queries from Members with regard to specific titles, as a result of which two titles have been relocated to the Members Library and five titles reinstated. Single articles from titles not held in the Library can be obtained for Members through Inter Library Loan.
	A full list of titles agreed for cancellation and disposal has been placed in the Library.

CABINET OFFICE

Government Communications

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on Government public relations and information services in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: Records of expenditure on public relations and information services across government are not held centrally.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Professional Football (Governance)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with football authorities on the governance of the professional game.

Richard Caborn: In my ongoing discussions with the football authorities about the governance of football I continue to urge the Football Association to implement the Burns Review recommendations.
	The FA must use this Review to ensure they are fit for purpose in the 21st Century and make the necessary changes without delay.

Digital Radio Stations

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the range of musical genres offered by specialist digital radio stations.

David Lammy: None. Licensing of independent radio is a matter for Ofcom.

Gaming Act

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the trend has been in applications for new casino licences under the Gaming Act 1968 over the last 12 months.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh).

Television Licence Concessions

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce proposals to extend the provisions relating to television licence concessions to residents in sheltered accommodation.

Tessa Jowell: As indicated in the BBC Charter Review Green Paper published in March last year, we believe the current scope of licence fee concessions is about right. However, we undertook to re-examine any anomalies in the existing concessions policy, particularly the accommodation for residential care scheme. Our conclusions, which will take into account the responses to the Green Paper consultation, will be set out in the White Paper which we intend to publish shortly.

World Heritage Sites

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what process governs applications for World Heritage Site UK nominee status.

David Lammy: For a site in the UK to be considered for inscription under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, it must first be included on the national Tentative List of Sites. The UK Tentative List, first published in 1999, is due to be reviewed and I shall be making an announcement about this later this year.
	Selection of a site from the Tentative List for nomination is made by Government following a rigorous assessment process including consultation with the devolved Administrations. Final decisions on inscription are made by the World Heritage Committee at its annual meeting.

Tourism Deficit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the UK tourism deficit.

David Lammy: The UK tourism deficit was £17.3 billion in 2004. Although we have a strong domestic tourism industry, a number of factors including increasing prosperity and cheaper air travel are encouraging more British people to holiday overseas. The UK is not alone in this—Germany's deficit stands at £27 billion.

Community and Amateur Sports Clubs (West Midlands)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to promote community and amateur sports clubs in Coventry, South and the West Midlands.

Richard Caborn: The Community Amateur Sports Club Scheme is open to eligible community and amateur sports clubs across the country, including those situated in Coventry, South and the West Midlands. So far over 3,500 clubs have registered for the Scheme in total, the benefits of which include mandatory rate relief as well as exemptions from Corporation Tax and which have totalled some £8 million to date.
	In addition, in the financial year ending 31 March 2005 Sport England allocated over £1.75 million from lottery and exchequer funding to grass roots sport, including community and amateur sports clubs, in Coventry, and over £6 million to the West Midlands as a whole.

Licensing Act

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on sports clubs.

Richard Caborn: While we believe that the Act will benefit sports clubs in the long term by removing the need to obtain a number of different permissions for different activities, I recognise that some concerns have been expressed about how sports clubs will adapt to the new licensing regime.
	I have therefore asked the Central Council for Physical Recreation to provide any information about how sports clubs are adapting to the new licensing regime and, in particular, to feed in any evidence about the impact of the fees into the Independent Fees Review Panel.
	In addition, I recently met representatives of the National Golf Clubs' Advisory Association, who confirmed that the transition period had gone well, without any major problems.

Licensing Act

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on sports clubs.

James Purnell: While we believe that the Act will benefit sports clubs in the long term by removing the need to obtain a number of different permissions for different activities, I recognise that some concerns have been expressed about how sports clubs will adapt to the new licensing regime.
	I have therefore asked the Central Council for Physical Recreation to provide any information about how sports clubs are adapting to the new licensing regime and, in particular, to feed in any evidence about the impact of the fees into the Independent Fees Review Panel.
	In addition, I recently met representatives of the National Golf Clubs' Advisory Association, who confirmed that the transition period had gone well, without any major problems.

Olympic Games

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on proposed training facilities for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Preparation and holding camps are an important element of the Games, potentially bringing benefits to the whole of the UK, both in economic terms and in galvanising the participation and engagement of local communities who will play host to elite athletes from around the globe. The responsibility for co-ordinating preparation and holding camps lies with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) in conjunction with the British Olympic Association who are developing a pre-training guide and application process to assist the Devolved Administrations and the English Regions in securing these training camps. The 2012 Nations and Regions Group, chaired by Charles Allen, will also be working with the Regions to develop plans for maximising the benefits of hosting the Games and regional working groups will be fully engaged on this issue as work goes forward.

Olympic Games

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress with arrangements for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: We have made excellent progress since 6 July with preparations for London to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Top appointments at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and the interim Olympic Delivery Authority have been made, the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill continues to make good progress through Parliament, and work is under way on the Olympic Park site.

Olympic Games

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress with arrangements for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: We have made excellent progress since 6 July with preparations for London to host the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. Top appointments at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic games and the interim Olympic Delivery Authority have been made, and the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill continues to make good progress through Parliament. Work is already under way on the Olympic Park site.

Olympic Games

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made in involving regions outside London in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: We have established a nations and regions group (NRG) chaired by Charles Alien, the chairman of ITV. It will ensure the whole of the UK is engaged with and realises the benefits—economic, social and sporting—from the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. Each nation and region has also established a national or regional working group to draw together people from across the nation or region with a role to play in engaging local communities and securing the benefits from 2012.
	The NRG met in London on 25 January and representatives from the national and regional working groups met in Leeds on 26 January to consider future arrangements in more detail.

Olympic Games

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment was made by PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Olympic games impact study of December 2005 of the economic impact in the south Wales valleys of holding the Olympic games in London in 2012.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic games impact study analyses the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of hosting the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games on three geographical areas: the UK as a whole; London; and north east London. It does not analyse the impact on other particular regions or nations within the UK.
	The report presents a picture of what would happen if nothing was done to spread the benefits from the games. Government and 2012 stakeholders are committed to ensuring timely and appropriate action is taken to spread the benefits throughout the UK.

Olympic Games

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress of preparations in Dorset for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Dorset Olympic Steering Croup (DOSG) has been set up as the local lead for venue development. DOSG links in with a new local co-ordination structure for Dorset. This comprises the Dorset Strategic Partnership, Dorset Economic Partnership and County Sports Partnership. The Dorset Strategic Partnership is currently developing a vision statement for Dorset and 2012, consulting all relevant partners. The CEO of Dorset county council sits on a regional steering group which has now been set up to co-ordinate the programme of activity across the south west.

Olympic Games

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for the provision of training facilities in the Eastern Region for the 2012 Olympic Games, with particular reference to rowing.

Richard Caborn: I am aware of the excellent rowing facilities that already exist in the Eastern Region and in the hon. Gentleman's own constituency of Peterborough. It will be for the National Olympic Committee of each country to decide where their teams will train for the London 2012 Games. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of training camps for the Games in conjunction with the British Olympic Association (BOA). They are currently developing a Pre-Training Guide that will both assist partners in the Devolved Administrations and the English Regions to secure these training camps.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what liaison bodies have been established between her Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to the arrangements for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) worked closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) during London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. Since winning the right to host the games, DCMS has continued to work closely with ODPM on preparations for the games.
	The DCMS has established, and chairs, an inter-departmental steering group which will provide strategic direction in delivering the games and its legacy and a working level network of Olympic co-ordinators. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), along with other Whitehall Departments, is represented on both of these groups. ODPM are also represented on the Olympic delivery group and the Olympic projects review group established by DCMS.
	DCMS and ODPM represent Government on the Olympic board steering group that was established by the four Olympic stakeholders (Government, the Mayor, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and the British Olympic Association).
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Deputy Prime Minister are both on the ministerial committee on the Olympics (MISC 25) that co-ordinates and oversees Government issues relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Horseracing Industry

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department gave to the horseracing industry in the last financial year.

Richard Caborn: My Department sponsors the horseracing industry and two non-departmental public bodies, which provide support and funding.
	In the last financial year, the Horserace Betting Levy Board distributed £96 million to racing and the Horserace Totalisator Board contributed £11 million, in addition to its levy payments.

Children's Play

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on children's play.

David Lammy: My Department recognises the importance of play in children's lives, not only for its own sake, but also in terms of other government priorities such as reducing obesity or increasing educational attainment. We remain committed to play and we are developing a more strategic approach to play policy through the cross departmental group which was set up last year.

Administrative Costs

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the administrative costs were of each agency for which she has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

David Lammy: The Department is responsible for one agency, The Royal Parks. All of the agency's resource expenditure is classed as other current" costs rather than administration costs" in the Supply Estimates and the Departmental Resource Accounts. The Royal Parks expenditure figures for 2004–05 can be found in the Royal Parks Annual Report at pages 48–60, a copy of which is available in the House of Parliament Library and from The Royal Parks website, www.royalparks.gov.uk/about/publications. Expenditure is broken down into the following categories:
	
		
			 Gross expenditure £000 
		
		
			 Staff costs 6,456 
			 Depreciation 1,374 
			 Notional charges 1,242 
			   
			 Programme costs  
			 Consultancies 633 
			 Telecommunications 175 
			 Works maintenance 7,574 
			 Grounds maintenance 6,495 
			 Nursery 1,020 
			 Trees 312 
			 Training 63 
			 Vehicle hire 236 
			 Cleaning contracts 922 
			 Entertainments 124 
			 Utilities 563 
			 Service contracts 702 
			 Police service 5,041 
			 Other 1,223 
			 Total 34,155 
		
	
	All of the agency's expenditure is regarded as identifiable" for country and regional public expenditure statistical analyses.

Amateur Sports Clubs

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of sports clubs (a) eligible for and (b) which have attained community amateur sports club status, broken down by sport; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme is administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who provide data on CASC registrations and the overall financial benefits to clubs. There are however no reliable estimates of the number of clubs that may be eligible for CASC status. As of 22 December 2005, 3,504 clubs had successfully registered as CASCs, up from a figure of 2,004 on 31 December 2004, representing an increase of 74 per cent. over the twelve month period. The following table breaks down registrations by sport.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 American Football 3 
			 Angling 24 
			 Archery 16 
			 Athletics 58 
			 Badminton 11 
			 Basketball 4 
			 Baton Twirling 1 
			 Billiards 2 
			 BMX 2 
			 Bodybuilding 1 
			 Bowls 568 
			 Boxing 20 
			 Canoeing and Kayaking 29 
			 Caving 5 
			 Cricket 690 
			 Croquet 23 
			 Curling 3 
			 Cycling 11 
			 Dance Sport 2 
			 Diving 2 
			 Equestrian 5 
			 Fencing 4 
			 Flying and Gliding 35 
			 Football 270 
			 Gaelic football 70 
			 Golf 243 
			 Gymnastics 31 
			 Harness Racing 1 
			 Highland Games 1 
			 Hockey 53 
			 Hurling 2 
			 Ice Hockey 3 
			 Ice skating 3 
			 Keep Fit 1 
			 Korfball 1 
			 Lacrosse 4 
			 Lawn Tennis 323 
			 Martial arts 29 
			 Mixed Sports 234 
			 Motor Cycling 2 
			 Motor Racing 1 
			 Mountaineering 6 
			 Netball 4 
			 Orienteering 3 
			 Petanque 1 
			 Rambling 1 
			 Real tennis 1 
			 Rowing and Sculling 76 
			 Rugby League 23 
			 Rugby Union 280 
			 Sailing, Yachting and Cruising 207 
			 Shinty 4 
			 Shooting 88 
			 Skating 1 
			 Skiing 9 
			 Snooker and Pool 2 
			 Speedway 1 
			 Squash 48 
			 Sub-Aqua 23 
			 Swimming and Diving 19 
			 Table tennis 11 
			 Trampolining 4 
			 Triathlon 4 
			 Volleyball 1 
			 Water polo 3 
			 Water skiing 5 
			 Total 3,616 
			   
			 Clubs representing two or more sports (112) 
			   
			 Final total 3,504

Amateur Sports Clubs

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to promote community amateur sports club status in each quarter since April 2002; what the costs were; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.
	Since April 2002 my Department has supported and undertaken a number of initiatives to promote the Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme (CASC), resulting in a 74 per cent. increase in registration in the year ending 31 December 2005.
	In both 2003 and 2004 the Department contributed to the costs of a series of seminars organised by the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) to promote the scheme.
	In June 2004 the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I held an event at Totteridge Cricket Club to publicise the scheme. In November 2004 DCMS organised, and I spoke at, a seminar for the National Governing Bodies (NGB) of sport to encourage their members to seek CASC membership. The meeting was held in tandem with the publication of a new information leaflet to NGBs about the benefits of CASC and information about the application process. This leaflet was produced and distributed by my Department.
	In addition, we have also worked with Sport England to promote the CASC Scheme, including a round of regional seminars in 2003, and the organisation of nine regional workshops which were staged in the second half of 2005.

Anniversary Events

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has for celebrating anniversaries of major events up to 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Secretary of State is responsible for organising, on behalf of the Government, the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Cenotaph and the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) is working closely with the Deputy Prime Minister and Paul Goggins, Minister for Race Equality and external stakeholders to ensure the best support for the forthcoming bicentenary marking the abolition of the slave trade in 2007.
	Many of DCMS's sponsored bodies are planning to celebrate anniversaries of various other major events, including the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunei in 2007, the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War in 2008 and the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne in 2009. Any plans by the Department or its sponsored bodies for the celebration of other major anniversaries will be announced closer to the time.

Ashes Test Series

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Ministers or officials will represent the Department at any of the Ashes test series matches in Australia in 2006.

David Lammy: No decision has been reached on whether Ministers or officials from the Department will be going to any of the Ashes test matches in Australia in 2006. A decision on the matter will be made later in the year.

Citizens Juries

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions her Department consulted citizens juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens jury.

David Lammy: My Department has not used citizens juries as a means of consultation in the last five years.

Concessionary Television Licences

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners over 75 years were receiving a free television licence in Selby constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Selby constituency in 2004–05 was 5,500 according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Constantine Anniversary

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government is taking to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation in the City of York of Constantine, the Roman Emperor; what support her Department has given to the York Museums Trust's exhibition on Constantine; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Constantine exhibition, mounted in association with the British Museum, has received £50,000 in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The activities of York Museums' Trust are supported through the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's Renaissance in the Regions programme. Renaissance has funded a new space in the Yorkshire Museum to support activities for schools. During the exhibition, this learning space will be dressed in Roman style with real objects to handle. A Roman story trail for children and families has also been developed.

Departmental Estate

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to provide a clear description of her Department's estate which includes (a) executive agencies, (b) staff numbers, (c) buildings and (d) land managed.

David Lammy: Both the Department for Culture Media, and Sport and The Royal Parks have their own Estates Management databases. They are also working with the Office for Government Commerce on the Electronic Performance Indicator Management System for the Government Estate.
	The number of staff in the Department and The Royal Parks are published in Table C in Civil Service Statistics 2004 which is available in the Library of the House and on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Departmental Websites

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of maintaining her main departmental website was for the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to the site in each of the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	Maintenance costs
	The DCMS primary website www.culture.gov.uk is managed in-house from existing resources. Total costs for 2005 were £47,000.
	Hosting—£12,000 (figure includes costs for a number of other departmental sites)
	Development—£10,000
	Software licence—£25,000
	
		Unique visitor numbers to the site
		
			  
		
		
			 January 57,316 
			 February 193,522 
			 March 251,237 
			 April 236,966 
			 May 212,858 
			 June 221,181 
			 July 251,224 
			 August 193,665 
			 September 226,160 
			 October 277,926 
			 November 324,624 
			 December 260,952

English Heritage

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery funding was allocated to English Heritage in 2005–06.

David Lammy: A total of £9,521,177 for three projects has been allocated to English Heritage by the Heritage Lottery Fund in the period April 2005 to January 2006. No other lottery distributor has allocated funding to English Heritage in that period.

Film Council

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list films to which the UK Film Council has given financial assistance in each of the last five years; and how much each received.

James Purnell: A complete list of the films that have received financial assistance from the UK Film Council in each of the last five years, and the amounts received, is available on the UK Film Council website at www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk . I am also arranging for the complete list to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Film Council

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria the UK Film Council uses to determine eligibility for financial assistance to film-makers.

James Purnell: The UK Film Council provides financial assistance to film projects to help deliver a consistent flow of high quality and culturally significant films. All film projects are selected according to an assessment of their cultural and creative merits. Funding will generally be given only to projects that are wholly or substantially capable of certification as a 'British' film. However, the UK Film Council is able to exercise discretion and may still elect to finance a film if there are other strong cultural reasons for doing so. Full details of the eligibility criteria for individual funding schemes are available on the UK Film Council website at www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk

Government Art Collection

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government's art collection is catalogued; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Government Art Collection (GAC) maintains a catalogue and database of the collection in line with the documentation standards of the Museums Accreditation Scheme administered by Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
	The GAC has a website that includes an on-line catalogue of works in the collection. All original works and impressions of all modern prints in the collection are included; historical prints are currently being added.
	In addition, the GAC has published a range of books about the collection including a summary catalogue of original works from the 20th century (published 1997).
	The GAC and the Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) are planning a volume of the PCF's ongoing series of catalogues Oil Paintings in Public Ownership" to include the GAC's holding of paintings.

Green Ministers

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work her Department's green Minister has undertaken in the last three months in an official capacity within that role.

James Purnell: I met with representatives from South Hams district council in October to discuss a sustainable approach to tourism and I chaired two meetings of the Tourism Reform Implementation Group (TRIG) at which the sustainability sub groups recommendations were discussed.
	In November 2005 in my capacity as DCMS member of the EE(SD) committee I had a bi-lateral meeting with the Minister for Climate Change and Environment (Elliot Morley). I am currently preparing my Department's sustainable development action plan.

Hampton Court Green

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what notice was given to residents at Hampton Court Green of Historic Royal Palaces' intention to allow the parking of vehicles on the Green for the Christmas event within the walls of the Palace from 1 to 11 December 2005; and whether an application was made to Richmond upon Thames borough council in relation to parking for this event.

David Lammy: Historic Royal Palaces did not give any specific notice to local residents of their intention to allow parking on Hampton Court Green for the Christmas event, although residents living in the vicinity of Hampton Court Green were sent promotional leaflets which showed the Green as the location for the main car park. Historic Royal Palaces did not make any application to Richmond upon Thames borough council in relation to parking for the Christmas event. It is the responsibility of the event organisers, contracted by Historic Royal Palaces, to obtain any necessary consent that may have been required. The council was aware of the event, and no application was made by the event organisers.

Hampton Court Green

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many days each event held by Historic Royal Palaces on Hampton Court Green lasted in 2005, including time for setting up and dismantling.

David Lammy: In 2005 Hampton Court Green was used for events under licence from Historic Royal Palaces for 52 days (37 event days and 15 days for setting up and dismantling.) The 2005 events were as follows: nine days for a funfair at Easter (five days for the event, four for set-up and dismantling), 14 days for a circus during the May holiday (11 and three days respectively), 11 days for a country affair at the August bank holiday (three and eight days respectively), seven days for temporary car parking for the Hampton Court Palace flower show and 11 days for temporary car parking for a Christmas affair.

Information and Communication Technology

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Arts Council England spent on information and communication technology projects for each year since 1997; what (a) the nature of the project, (b) commencement date, (c) planned completion date and (d) actual completion date was in each case; whether contractors were involved in each project; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Information and Communication Technology expenditure since 1997:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£) 
		
		
			 1998–99 100,000 
			 1999–2000 2,310,000 
			 2000–01 2,294,000 
			 2001–02 1,797,000 
			 2002–03 1,823,000 
			 2003–04 553,000 
			 2004–05 1,775,000 
		
	
	Project details
	Year 2000: Ensuring IT systems were compliant for the year 2000 changeover. Work was carried out during 1998–99.
	ARTIS:
	A finance and grants management system replacing those in place prior to 1996–97. The initial phase went live on 1 April 2001 with further phased releases during 2001–02 and 2002–03.
	Telephone system:
	Harmonisation of the telephone network following the merger with the 10 Regional Arts Boards in 2002. This was implemented during 2002–03 and 2003–04. Installation was completed in line with the original timetable.
	Thin client:
	Creation of a thin client IT infrastructure following the merger of the Arts Council of England with the 10 Regional Arts Boards in April 2002. This was rolled out during 2003–04 and 2004–05. Installation was completed in line with the original timetable.
	Single system:
	A new system for finance, grants and management information following the merger of the Arts Council of England with the 10 Regional Arts Boards in April 2002. The planned implementation date is September 2006.
	
		Expenditure (in £) by project
		
			  Year 2000 ARTIS Telephone system Thin client Single system 
		
		
			 1998–99 100,000 0 0 0 0 
			 1999–2000 0 2,310,000 0 0 0 
			 2000–01 0 2,294,000 0 0 0 
			 2001–02 0 1,797,000 0 0 0 
			 2002–03 0 1,362,000 461,000 0 0 
			 2003–04 0 0 353,000 180,000 20,000 
			 2004–05 0 0 18,000 34,000 1,723,000 
		
	
	The Arts Council made use of contractors for all of the above projects, as the cost of retaining a permanent IT staffing resource of specialist expertise to deliver projects of this type is prohibitive. Exact records of commencement, planned and actual completion dates were not retained.

Lottery Funding

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid to the arts through (a) grant-in-aid to the Arts Council, (b) the Arts Lottery Fund and (c) the Big Lottery Fund in 2004–05.

David Lammy: In 2004–05 Arts Council England received £369.9 million in Grant in Aid and £170.2 million in Lottery funding. The Big Lottery Fund also funds arts projects but does not categorise these separately. Therefore the figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Lottery Funding

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid to sport through (a) grant-in-aid to Sport England, (b) the Sports Lottery Fund and (c) the Big Lottery Fund in 2004–05.

Richard Caborn: In 2004–05, Sport England Exchequer awards totalled £86.8 million; awards from the Sports Lottery Fund 1 totalled £135.2 million (Sport England: £121 million and UK Sport: £14.2 million) and awards from the Big Lottery Fund 2 totalled £395 million.
	1 The figure provided includes Lottery funding awarded by Sport England and UK Sport, which are the NDPBs sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	2 This figure includes New Opportunities for PE and School Sport, Space for Sport and the Arts, and community sports programme awards. It does not include Awards for All, Positive Activities for Young People and other grants which have funded sport indirectly.

New Opportunities Fund

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the expenditure of the New Opportunities Fund for physical education and sport was in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The table shows awards and payments made by the New Opportunities Fund to programmes for physical education and sport for each year since 2001. These figures do not include Awards for All, Activities for Young People and other grants which have funded sport indirectly.
	
		£
		
			  Awards made Payment made 
		
		
			 2001–02 10,596,800 11,400 
			 2002–03 88,622,611 4,801,339 
			 2003–04 202,444,347 31,618,846 
			 2004–05 395,174,057 84,993,116 
			 Year to date 79,292,733 202,244,646

Private Security Industry Act

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from sports bodies about the Private Security Industry Act 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: A number of sports bodies, including the Central Council for Physical Recreation, have contacted my Department with concerns about the impact of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. We are working closely with the Home Office to ensure that sport is not unnecessarily burdened by the legislation.

Royal Works of Art

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the inventory of royal works of art was completed; and where it can be consulted by members of the public.

David Lammy: The Royal Collection is a department of the Royal household and is not a responsibility of my Department. However, I understand that the custodial inventory was completed in 1997, and is used to help manage the collection and answer public enquiries. In partnership with the National Trust, the Royal Collection is currently developing a new collections management system; and in April 2005 the Royal Collection launched the first phase of its online e-Gallery, an interactive, multimedia catalogue of works of art, which is available on the Royal Collection's website.

Second World War Records

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to record the accounts of ex-servicemen who served during the Second World War; and how much has been spent on doing this in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: The accounts of ex-service people who served in the Second World War are being recorded by two of the national museums sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Since the beginning of 1996, the Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive has planned for, acquired, documented, stored, preserved and made accessible 4,263 recordings of people's accounts of Second World War service, representing approximately 52 per cent. of the intake for those years. The direct cost of the Second World War recordings has been £1.22 million, excluding costs for accommodation, utilities and storage.
	In addition, the Department of Documents at the Imperial War Museum is responsible for the collection of the unpublished diaries, letters and memoirs of servicemen and women who have taken part in the conflicts in which Britain and the Commonwealth have been involved since 1914. Some 15,000 individuals' experiences are now represented in the archive, of which close to half cover service in the Second World War, and the collection is continuing to grow. The costs associated with these Second World War accounts are also in the region of £1.2 million.
	The Royal Armouries currently runs a programme called 'Memories', which records through DVD the reminiscences of veterans from the Second World War about the Department for weapons they either used or encountered during conflict. A DVD is currently on display in the main entrance to the Royal Armouries in Leeds, and 10 more Second World War veterans will be interviewed by the end of February. The project is in its early days and it is estimated that it will cost £7,000 in 2005–06, with plans for further development.

Stonehenge Visitors Centre

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was to (a) her Department and (b) English Heritage, to the end of July 2005, of preparatory work in connection with the Stonehenge Visitors Centre.

David Lammy: The total expenditure by English Heritage in connection with the Stonehenge Visitors Centre since 2000–01 is £8.9 million. This includes funds to purchase land on which the centre is to be built together with consultancy and project team costs associated with architectural, structural and environmental design of the centre.
	£3 million of this amount was allocated as grant in aid in 2000–01 to English Heritage from DCMS for land purchase. Some additional staff costs have fallen to my Department but these are included in overall running costs and not separately recorded.

Stonehenge Visitors Centre

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the earmarked allocation of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Stonehenge Visitors Centre is ring-fenced for that project irrespective of possible planning and construction delays.

David Lammy: The Heritage Lottery Fund has earmarked £25 million to support the Visitor Centre element of the Stonehenge Project. There are no current plans to reallocate these funds.

Stonehenge Visitors Centre

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the last occasion was that (a) Ministers and (b) officials met representatives of the National Trust to discuss road improvements at Stonehenge.

David Lammy: I met the chairman of the National Trust on 25 January. There have been regular meetings at official level, the last of which included a visit to Stonehenge on 19 January.

Sustainable Development

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, what her Department has identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to the operation of its estate.

James Purnell: The Department has identified the most significant sustainable development impacts pursuant to the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate as being:
	Part E—Energy
	Part F—Procurement
	Part G—Estates Management and Construction

Television Licence Fee

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many fines for non-payment of a television licence have been collected from premises used to shelter women from domestic violence in each of the last three years in each (a) country, (b) region and (c) constituency of the UK.

James Purnell: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Television Licence Fee

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to include women's refuge centres in the concessionary television licence scheme available to people living in residential care accommodation.

James Purnell: In the BBC Charter Review Green Paper published in March 2005, the Government indicated that it believed the current scope of television licence fee concessions was about right but undertook to re-examine any anomalies in the existing concessions policy, particularly the accommodation for residential care scheme. Our conclusions, which will take into account the responses to the Green Paper consultation, will be set out in the White Paper which we intend to publish shortly.

Television Licence Fee

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the level of the colour television licence fee has been in each year since 1996–97.

James Purnell: The level of the colour television licence fee in each year since 1996–97 has been:
	
		£
		
			  Licence Fee 
		
		
			 1996–97 89.50 
			 1997–98 91.50 
			 1998–99 97.50 
			 1999–2000 101.00 
			 2000–01 104.00 
			 2001–02 109.00 
			 2002–03 112.00 
			 2003–04 116.00 
			 2004–05 121.00 
			 2005–06 126.50

Television Licence Fee

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the penalties are for not paying the television licence fee.

James Purnell: Under section 363 of the Communications Act 2003, the penalty for unlicensed installation or use of a television receiver is a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, currently £1,000.

Television Licence Fee

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in West Lancashire were prosecuted for not having a television licence in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	The information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is contained in the table and shows the number of people proceeded against at magistrates courts in Lancashire police force area for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 to 1969 (mainly television licence evasion), 2000–04. It is not possible to identify those prosecutions in West Lancashire, as the data is not collected at this level of detail.
	
		Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 to 1967(mainly television licence evasion), Lancashire police force area 2000 to 2004(9)
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 2000 3,888 
			 2001 4,720 
			 2002 5,058 
			 2003 3,824 
			 2004 4,145 
		
	
	(9) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	Source:
	Home Office

PRIME MINISTER

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister if he will estimate the cost to his Office of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Tony Blair: Approximately 1,600 cards were purchased for official use at a cost of £325. All expenditure incurred in the purchase and posting of these cards is in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting".

Early Retirement

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how many employees of his Office have taken early retirement due to ill-health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) to reply. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what his Office did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 621W.

Special Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much was spent on special advisers in each year since 1996–97; and what the estimated spend is for 2005–06;
	(2)  if he will list the (a) paid and (b) unpaid special advisers working in each Government Department.

Tony Blair: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 21 July 2005, Official Report, 158–61WS. Information on the numbers of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and this information is available in the Libraries of the House.
	Information on special advisers for 2005–06 will be published in the normal way once it has been completed.

Terrorism Victims (Compensation)

Quentin Davies: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 888W, on terrorism victims (compensation), when he expects to be able to report to the House on the results of the Government's consideration of the feasibility of introducing a scheme to provide compensation for UK victims of terrorism referred to in his reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 15 October 2005.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 888W.

Tibet

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with President Hu about the destruction of historic buildings by the Chinese Government in Tibet.

Tony Blair: I last met President Hu during his state visit in November 2005 where we discussed a wide range of issues. The British ambassador to China raised the destruction of historic buildings in Tibet with the Vice-Mayor of Lhasa in July 2004. He stressed the need to balance modernity with the preservation of Tibetan culture.
	The Government monitor developments in Tibet closely and regularly raises Tibet-related issues with the Chinese Government, including during our biannual UK/China human rights dialogue.

Torture

David Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his Oral Answer to the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Mr. Kennedy) of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 862, whether the definition of torture he uses includes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Tony Blair: The Government understands the term torture" to have the meaning set out in Article 1 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Council Tax

Robert Wilson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) merits and (b) cost of a revaluation of council tax bands.

Phil Woolas: The Government believe that it is right to maintain a fair alignment between house prices and council tax bands. However they announced on 20 September 2005 that they were postponing the 2007 revaluation of council tax so that revaluation can take full account of Sir Michael Lyons' extended inquiry into local government funding. Sir Michael published his initial findings and research so far in December last year and will publish his final report at the end of this year.
	It is not possible at this stage to estimate what the costs of a future revaluation will be.

Coventry City Council

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of Coventry City council housing stock has been sold under the right-to-buy scheme in each year since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: The proportion of housing stock owned by Coventry City council, sold through the right-to-buy scheme in each financial year since 1980–81, as reported by Coventry City is tabulated. The table shows the number of right-to-buy sales in each financial year as a percentage of the stock at the beginning of that period. There have been no right-to-buy sales since September 2000 when all remaining local authority stock was transferred to a registered social landlord.
	
		West Lancashire; right-to-buy sales -- Percentage
		
			  Financial year Proportion of LA stock sold through RTB 
		
		
			 1980–81 0.0 
			 1981–82 1.7 
			 1982–83 2.9 
			 1983–84 1.7 
			 1984–85 1.1 
			 1985–86 1.6 
			 1986–87 1.5 
			 1987–88 2.2 
			 1988–89 4.0 
			 1989–90 3.1 
			 1990–91 1.3 
			 1991–92 0.9 
			 1992–93 0.6 
			 1993–94 0.6 
			 1994–95 0.7 
			 1995–96 0.6 
			 1996–97 0.7 
			 1997–98 1.0 
			 1998–99 0.9 
			 1999–2000 1.5 
			 2000–01 0.5 
		
	
	Source:
	P1AB returns from local authority to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. Figures for ODPM are unavailable for 2002–03. The ODPM does not hold separate information on expenditure on refreshments, however expenditure on catering which includes refreshments is held and the figures for these are as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2003–04 192,271.22 
			 2004–05 200,124.53 
			 2005–06 to date 203,643.86 
		
	
	All expenditure is incurred in line with the appropriate guidance.

Emissions Targets

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will include emissions targets in the public service agreements his Department has with local and regional organisations.

Phil Woolas: Local public service agreements are now negotiated with local authorities and their partners by Government offices as the 'reward element' of local area agreements (LAAs).
	The LAA Outcomes Framework, published as part of the LAA Guidance Note in June, 2005, provides for targets to be negotiated relating to concentrations of air pollutants and to the energy efficiency/carbon performance of properties.

Energy Efficiency

David Chaytor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the relationship between the work of the Interdepartmental Taskforce on the Improvement of Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings and the energy review.

Yvette Cooper: The recommendations of the review of the sustainability of Existing Buildings which, among other issues, is considering measures which could be taken to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings, will be taken into account in the much wider energy review, as stated in the consultation document, Our Energy Challenge: Securing clean, affordable energy for the long-term", that was issued on 23 January.

Energy Policy

David Howarth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that the work of the interdepartmental review on energy use in existing buildings led by his Department is made available to the Minister of State for Energy to assist him with his review of energy policy.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The review of the sustainability of existing buildings which, among other issues, is considering measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, is being steered by a project board of senior officials from several Government Departments including the Department of Trade and Industry.
	The Energy Review consultation document, acknowledges the need to take account of a number of related exercises including this existing buildings review.

Single Regeneration Budget

Charles Hendry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure on the single regeneration budget has been for each year since introduction in each local authority area.

Phil Woolas: The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) was allocated to regeneration partnerships and funding by local authority area is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. 1,027 SRB schemes were successful under the six rounds of the SRB including thematic, pan or sub-regional schemes that each embraced several local authority areas. £5.706 billion of SRB funding was allocated over the schemes' lifetime of up to seven years. Details of the schemes have been made available in the Library of the House. These include an indication of their location (except for the thematic or pan-regional schemes) and region and their lifetime funding.

Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was to (a) Wiltshire county council and (b) Salisbury district council of preparatory work in connection with (i) the A303 Stonehenge Road Improvement Scheme and (ii) the Stonehenge Visitors Centre project to the end of July 2005.

Yvette Cooper: Wiltshire county council is unable to give an estimate of the total cost of its involvement in the future of the A303 through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, although the major cost has been in staff time. However, it has identified that its specific legal costs in connection with the Public Inquiry over the Road Improvement Scheme were £16,550.
	Salisbury district council estimates that in excess of £350,000 has been spent on the Stonehenge project. Approximately 90 per cent. of this figure is in respect of the Visitor Centre.

Thames Gateway Port

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) formal and (b) informal committees considering aspects of the Thames Gateway Port transport infrastructure; what the (i) objectives and (ii) composition of each is; and whether a possible link to Canvey Island is part of the remit of any of these committees.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no committees considering transport infrastructure for the proposed London Gateway port.
	On wider Thames Gateway matters, the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership is chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning. It has within its remit the consideration of transport matters across the whole of the Thames Gateway.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Apprenticeships

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to extend apprenticeship schemes beyond the age of 25 years.

Phil Hope: The Department for Education and Skills has already changed the rules so that young people who start a Government-funded apprenticeship at any point up to their 25th birthday can complete it. Beyond that, the Department is currently trialling apprenticeships for adult entry in three sectors: engineering, construction and health and social care, and discussions are taking place to include the IT sector. These trials are due to complete in March 2006, although some programmes may take longer depending upon their starting date. We will decide in the light of these trials how the apprenticeship model can be adapted to the needs of older entrants to an occupation; and what—if any—extra public funding should be made available to support the costs of the learning.

Child Abuse

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the judgment in Re H and R on the standard of proof required in cases involving allegations of child abuse.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	In Re: H and R in 1996 Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead explained that the standard of proof required is that it is the balance of probabilities. In the judgment of Re: U and B in May 2004, given in the Court of Appeal by the past President of the Family Division Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Lord Justice Thorpe and Lord Justice Mantell, the standard of proof that applies in civil/family cases was rehearsed in some detail and confirmed as the approach explained by Lord Nicholls. Re: H and R should continue to be followed as before.

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what visits abroad Ministers in her Department have made in relation to child care policy since 2001.

Bill Rammell: Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis information relating to Cabinet Ministers' visits overseas costing more than £500. Copies of the published lists for the years 2001 to 31 March 2005 are available in the Libraries of the House. The detailed information you have requested in respect of other Ministers is not collected centrally and to collect it would involve incurring disproportionate cost.
	Ministerial travel is conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code" and Travel by Ministers".

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what targets she has set for (a) the establishment of children's trusts, (b) the use of home childcarers, (c) expanding the number of (i) neighbourhood nurseries and (ii) early excellence centres and (d) the use in schools of the extended schools programme; what assessment she has (A) made and (B) plans to make of each scheme; and what progress has been made towards meeting those targets.

Beverley Hughes: The Government's expectation is that most local authority areas will have a children's trust by April 2006, and all will by 2008. There is progress in all areas towards having children's trusts arrangements in place by 2008.
	There is no target for the use of home childcarers. In April 2003, we introduced the Home Childcarers Scheme allowing Ofsted to approve registered childminders to provide care in parents' homes. 300 carers were approved under that scheme. A subsequent PSA target required us to introduce, by April 2005, a light-touch Childcare Approval Scheme. This new scheme was launched in December 2004 and became effective in April 2005. 1,339 carers have been approved under it. Our target for the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative was the creation of 45,000 new full-time daycare places for children under 5 in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas by 2004. This was achieved. There are no plans to expand the programme. Our focus now is on the development of Sure Start children's centres, building on neighbourhood nurseries and other early years provision.
	107 early excellence centres (EECs) were established and there are no plans to expand the programme. There were no targets for the development of EECs. We expect all EECs to develop into children's centres.
	We expect all schools to be making a core offer of extended services including child care, 8am-6pm, all year round, by 2010, with a third of secondary schools, and half of primary schools, doing so by 2008. The vast majority of schools are currently providing some extended services, and all local authorities have received funding in the current financial year, 2005–06, to support the development of extended schools in their areas. The National Remodelling Team is monitoring progress through its work with local authorities.
	There has been an evaluation of children's trusts in place since April 2004. It will be completed by the end of March 2007. Two interim reports have already been published and available at: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/childrenstrustpathfinders/national evaluation/ whilst three practitioner focused reports will be published in May 2006.
	The Childcare Approval Scheme is being run by Nestor Primecare Services Ltd., the approval body, under contract to the DfES. The scheme is being closely monitored as part of the contract management process, overseen by an Inter-departmental Implementation Board.
	A comprehensive national evaluation of the neighbourhood nursery initiative began in August 2002, and will run until August 2006. The final evaluation report is due to be published towards the end of 2006.
	The 29 pilot EECs were the subject of an evaluation study between 1997 and 2002. The final report of this study was published in November 2004.
	The Department is implementing a comprehensive research and evaluation strategy for extended schools, including an evaluation of the impacts of full service extended schools. The findings of the evaluation of the first year of the full service extended schools, and a baseline survey of extended services in maintained schools were published in September 2005. We are collecting annual data from schools to show progress towards the extended school core offer targets published in the Ten Year Childcare Strategy.
	Reports on the neighbourhood nurseries, early excellence centres and extended school research and evaluation published so far are available at: www.surestart.gov.uk/research.

Childminders

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes have taken place in the measurement of the number of childminders since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: From 1999 to 2003 the number of childminders and childminder places created were reported to the Department by local authorities.
	Since March 2003 the Department has been able to use more reliable childminder and place data recorded by Ofsted.

Children's Commissioner for Children

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the cost of the Children's Commissioner for England in the last year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: In March 2005 the Government appointed Professor Al Aynsley-Green as England's first Children's Commissioner. From this point, the Commissioner worked on a part-time basis until he formally took up his post on 1 July 2005. The total cost of the Children's Commissioner for England in financial year 2004/05 was £113,018. The Commissioner will prepare a statement of his accounts for the financial year 2005/06 which will be laid before Parliament once the Comptroller and Auditor General have examined and certified the statements.

Dedicated Choice Advisers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the entitlement of access of the least well-off parents to the dedicated choice advisers referred to on page 8 of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All will be determined.

Jacqui Smith: We intend to publish guidance for local authorities on choice advice which will cover a range of issues including the role of the choice adviser, potential delivery models, and targeting the service. This guidance is currently in development and will be published shortly.

Dedicated Schools Grant

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  on what basis Wirral local education authority was allocated an average dedicated schools grant of £3,514 per pupil;
	(2)  on what basis the average Dedicated Schools Grant was £6,708 per pupil in the City of London.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 26 January 2006
	The calculation of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in 2006–07 and 2007–08 takes authorities' 2005–06 level of spending as the baseline, rather than their Schools Formula Spending Share (SFSS); it gives all authorities a minimum increase of 5 per cent. per pupil over the baseline in each of the next two years; and then distributes the remaining grant to reflect the Government's key priorities for education.
	The Wirral's baseline spending in 2005–06 was £3,279 per pupil, which reflects its spending of 2 per cent. below SFSS. Given the 5 per cent. per pupil increase, in 2006–07 Wirral is receiving an additional £2.78 million to reflect the Government's key priorities for education, plus an additional £0.687 to help move its per pupil funding towards the level indicated by the funding formula. Its average guaranteed unit of funding in 2006–07 is therefore £3,514 per pupil. That gives the Wirral an indicative allocation of DSG in 2006–07 of £171.6 million.
	In the City of London's case, its baseline spending in 2005–06 was £6,286 per pupil which reflects its spending of more than 75 per cent. in excess of SFSS in 2005–06. Given the 5 per cent. per pupil increase, plus an additional £27,000 to reflect the Government's key priorities for education, the City of London's average guaranteed unit of funding in 2006–07 is £6,708 per pupil. Its indicative allocation of DSG in 2006–07 is £1.7 million. Given that the City of London only has about 250 pupils, it is not possible to make meaningful comparisons between its unit costs and those of other authorities.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual expenditure on vehicles has been for (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Bill Rammell: The annual expenditure on vehicles for the Department for Education and Skills in each of the last three years is as follows.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 263,000.00 
			 2003–04 416,250.00 
			 2004–05 493,500.00 
		
	
	The increase in expenditure for the period 2003–04 was attributable to; The Department's continuation of the Private User Scheme (PUS), purchase of new vehicles and the number of vehicles over three years old with 60,000+ miles resulting in vehicles being less cost effective and costing more to run.
	A similar expenditure for the period of 2004–05 saw the purchase of a number of new cars to replace older and less efficient vehicles within the fleet.
	Planned expenditure for 2005–06 is £270,000.00.

Departmental Expenditure

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the cost to her Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Maria Eagle: The Department again sent electronic cards following the launch last year. A small number of printed cards were produced and sent via the governmental inter-departmental service or Royal Mail. No breakdown of the delivery methods is available which would enable an accurate assessment to be made.
	All expenditure incurred in the purchase and dispatch of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.
	The cost of printing the Department's Christmas card this year was £2,324.
	Printed Christmas cards are distributed to Ministers and senior officials on request. A central team was in place to avoid duplication of recipients.

Departmental Pensions Liability

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total pensions liability of the Department is.

Maria Eagle: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme and individual departments' pension liabilities are not available. The Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts for 2004–05 showed that the total pension liability at 31 March 2005 was £84.1 billion. As a result of a change in the discount rate used for calculating pension liabilities with effect from 1 April 2005, the total pension liability at 1 April 2005 increased by £10.6 billion to £94.7 billion.

Departmental Targets

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what national target she has set for (a) improving children's (i) communication skills and (ii) social and emotional development, (b) schools' development of anti-bullying accreditation schemes, (c) placing of children with adopters within 12 months of the decision that this was in their best interests and (d) increasing the proportion of leaders of integrated early years education and childcare settings with a Level 4 or above qualification.

Beverley Hughes: The Sure Start Public Service Agreement (PSA1) covering (a) and (b) is to improve children's communication, personal social and emotional development so that by 2008 50 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the foundation stage, and reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and the rest of England.
	There is no national target for schools' development of anti-bullying accreditation schemes.
	The target for placing children with adopters was by 2004–05 to increase to 95 per cent. the proportion of looked after children placed for adoption within 12 months of the decision that adoption is in the child's best interests, up from 81 per cent. in 2000–01, and maintain this level (95 per cent.) up to 2006, by locally applying the timescales in the national adoption standards, taking account of the individual child's needs.
	No target has been set for increasing the proportion of leaders of integrated early years education and childcare settings with a level 4 or above qualification. However, proposals in the Children's Workforce Strategy envisage a graduate level early years' professional in every Sure Start Children's Centre by 2010 and in every full day care setting by 2015.

Departmental Website

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of maintaining her main departmental website was for the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to the site in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The websites that the Department is responsible for are listed as follows, along with the number of visits to each for 2004 (the last whole year that stats are available for):
	
		
			 Website Number of visits 
		
		
			 www.dfes.gov.uk 10.859,230 
			 www.teachernet.gov.uk 4,308,205 
			 www.connexions-direct.com 1,388,251 
			 www.surestart.gov.uk 1,050,171 
			 www.aimhigher.ac.uk 932,165 
			 www.parentcentre.gov.uk 881.819 
			 www.governornet.co.uk 662,607 
			 www.wavtolearn.co.uk 417,376 
			 www.need2know.co.uk 274,571 
			 www.skillsforemployers.gov.uk 119,324 
		
	
	Total number of visits: 20,893,719 (In the time given to answer this question, monthly breakdowns were not available).
	The hosting cost of these sites was £1,235,500.
	The Department currently has large numbers of sub-sites falling under the main sites listed in the response and these are developed by policy teams using their own budgets. It would therefore be a difficult and time-consuming task to co-ordinate across all policy directorates and communications teams (for campaign sites) to assess overall costs.
	The Department is working towards consolidation of these sites (which run into hundreds) into a small number of sites which specialise in delivering information and services to a particular audience, (e.g. for those working in schools). As well as this the new technical infrastructure, currently in procurement stage, will provide a centralised Content Management System (CMS) which means that more costs will be centralised, which will deliver better value for money.

Education Provision (Growth Communities)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with (a) organisations and (b) Government Departments about changes in pupil numbers and provision of school places in communities in which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to build additional houses; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Government have announced, in the run-up to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, and in response to Kate Barker's review of housing supply, a cross-cutting review into supporting housing growth to effectively co-ordinate across Departments the strategic delivery of local and regional infrastructure necessary to support additional housing.
	DfES are closely involved in the housing growth proposals, and working to translate forecasts into pupil numbers. Local authorities are responsible for planning school places in their areas and they take account of forecasts and proposed future housing developments as part of this process.
	A DfES Minister will be nominated shortly to engage with the Minister for Communities and Local Government on the Thames Gateway.

Educational Attainment

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE in each local education authority area, excluding candidates sitting examinations at independent schools in the last period for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The figures requested, which were published on the Research & Statistics Gateway on the DfES website on 18 January 2006, are included in the following table:
	
		Percentage of 15-year-old pupils(10) achieving 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent(11) in 2005(12)
		
			 Local authority(13)(14) 2005(12) (Percentage) 
		
		
			 Camden 51.4 
			 Greenwich 45.3 
			 Hackney 47.2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 58.9 
			 Islington 44.1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 61.1 
			 Lambeth 52.3 
			 Lewisham 49.0 
			 Southwark 47.1 
			 Tower Hamlets 50.8 
			 Wandsworth 54.1 
			 Westminster 46.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 50.1 
			 Barnet 63.1 
			 Bexley 57.4 
			 Brent 57.1 
			 Bromley 63.8 
			 Croydon 54.2 
			 Ealing 59.4 
			 Enfield 51.5 
			 Haringey 47.6 
			 Harrow 61.3 
			 Havering 61.1 
			 Hillingdon 50.5 
			 Hounslow 57.6 
			 Kingston upon Thames 66.4 
			 Merton 46.8 
			 Newham 51.1 
			 Redbridge 69.7 
			 Richmond upon Thames 54.8 
			 Sutton 67.7 
			 Waltham Forest 48.9 
			 Birmingham 56.4 
			 Coventry 46.3 
			 Dudley 53.4 
			 Sandwell 42.9 
			 Solihull 64.1 
			 Walsall 46.3 
			 Wolverhampton 54.6 
			 Knowsley 44.4 
			 Liverpool 49.0 
			 St. Helens 55.6 
			 Sefton 57.0 
			 Wirral 56.6 
			 Bolton 49.2 
			 Bury 57.7 
			 Manchester 43.7 
			 Oldham 51.8 
			 Rochdale 49.1 
			 Salford 45.4 
			 Stockport 54.4 
			 Tameside 51.7 
			 Trafford 70.1 
			 Wigan 51.7 
			 Barnsley 45.3 
			 Doncaster 44.5 
			 Rotherham 48.9 
			 Sheffield 46.6 
			 Bradford 46.3 
			 Calderdale 54.6 
			 Kirklees 50.8 
			 Leeds 49.2 
			 Wakefield 56.4 
			 Gateshead 65.3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 52.1 
			 North Tyneside 54.2 
			 South Tyneside 51.6 
			 Sunderland 51.5 
			 Isles of Scilly 79.2 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 63.0 
			 Bristol 36.1 
			 North Somerset 57.2 
			 South Gloucestershire 55.4 
			 Hartlepool 51.8 
			 Middlesbrough 45.2 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 48.2 
			 Stockton on Tees 54.8 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 44.1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 61.0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 42.4 
			 North Lincolnshire 50.8 
			 North Yorkshire 62.4 
			 York 59.8 
			 Bedfordshire 53.4 
			 Luton 49.9 
			 Buckinghamshire 67.3 
			 Milton Keynes 51.9 
			 Derbyshire 55.2 
			 Derby 53.5 
			 Dorset 60.5 
			 Poole 63.9 
			 Bournemouth 51.8 
			 Durham 51.2 
			 Darlington 56.6 
			 East Sussex 54.5 
			 Brighton and Hove 55.0 
			 Hampshire 60.7 
			 Portsmouth 45.9 
			 Southampton 47.0 
			 Leicestershire 56.8 
			 Leicester City 45.2 
			 Rutland 66.2 
			 Staffordshire 54.4 
			 Stoke on Trent 48.1 
			 Wiltshire 57.7 
			 Swindon 49.8 
			 Bracknell Forest 54.0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 59.2 
			 West Berkshire 60.5 
			 Reading 45.8 
			 Slough 56.3 
			 Wokingham 60.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 58.5 
			 City of Peterborough 53.5 
			 Cheshire 60.0 
			 Halton 49.1 
			 Warrington 61.2 
			 Devon 55.6 
			 City of Plymouth 54.6 
			 Torbay 53.1 
			 Essex 56.3 
			 Southend 61.2 
			 Thurrock 48.8 
			 Herefordshire 56.7 
			 Worcestershire 55.7 
			 Kent 59.6 
			 Medway 51.9 
			 Lancashire 56.4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 46.8 
			 Blackpool 40.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 46.9 
			 Nottingham City 41.6 
			 Shropshire 62.9 
			 Telford and The Wrekin 53.6 
			 Cornwall 55.6 
			 Cumbria 56.8 
			 Gloucestershire 62.3 
			 Hertfordshire 61.4 
			 Isle of Wight 45.0 
			 Lincolnshire 58.6 
			 Norfolk 52.4 
			 Northamptonshire 51.9 
			 Northumberland 58.7 
			 Oxfordshire 53.6 
			 Somerset 56.5 
			 Suffolk 58.1 
			 Surrey 60.8 
			 Warwickshire 57.2 
			 West Sussex 55.9 
		
	
	(10) The figures shown relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year.
	(11) Figures include GCSEs and other approved qualifications.
	(12) 2005 figures are revised.
	(13) Local authority figures include all maintained schools and exclude independent schools, non-maintained special schools and independent special schools.

Failing Schools

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 242 schools deemed at the start of January to be failing, which are referred to on page 15 of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All".

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Fire Sprinklers

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many responses to the consultation on 'Building Bulletin 100—Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fires in Schools' were in favour (a) of the proposals in respect of the fitting of fire sprinklers in school buildings and (b) of strengthening the proposals.

Jacqui Smith: The first question in the consultation on Building Bulletin 100 asked whether respondents agreed with the proposal that risk assessment should be used as the basis for designers to make their choices, rather than following a purely prescriptive approach that may preclude many of those choices. There were a further 11 questions, of which two concerned sprinkler installations:
	Do you agree with the proposal that sprinkler systems should be installed if indicated by the risk assessment?"
	Do you agree that the guidance on sprinklers is adequate?"
	The analysis of the responses is not yet complete, but should be finalised before the end of March.

Foundation Stage Profile

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of children scored (a) scale score six or more and (b) scale score eight or more in all assessments in the Foundation Stage profile;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of children scored (a) scale score six or more and (b) scale score eight or more in (i) mathematical development, (ii) communication, language and literacy and (iii) the mathematical development and communication language and literacy assessments combined in the Foundation Stage Profile.

Beverley Hughes: My Department will be releasing final statistics for the Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) 2005 in a Statistical First Release on 16 February 2006. These figures will be available on my Department's website http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/index.shtml.
	I will write to the hon. Member and provide him with the information he has requested by the end of February.

Foundation Stage Profile

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is her policy that the child centred approach to learning as set out in the Foundation Stage should be applied to the reception year of primary school.

Jacqui Smith: The Foundation Stage is already applied to the reception year of primary schools. The Foundation Stage is a distinct phase of education focusing on the needs of children aged three to the end of the reception year of primary school, when some children will be almost five and others almost six.

Free Trade Goods

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to encourage the purchase of free trade goods.

Jacqui Smith: Fair Trade products including tea, coffee, chocolate and biscuits are offered for sale in all DfES head office restaurants. We are currently in discussions with our catering supplier with a view to increasing the amount of Fair Trade products sold.

Grouping/Setting

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many subjects she envisages more grouping and setting referred to on page 10 of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All".

Jacqui Smith: It is for schools to use their own professional judgment to decide which subjects to group or set pupils by ability. We will continue through the National Strategies and our Gifted and Talented programme to offer advice and guidance to schools on classroom practice so that they can make decisions about how to use pupil setting as part of their overall commitment to personalising and tailoring learning to meet the needs of all their pupils.

Head Teachers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to promote the recruitment of head teachers.

Jacqui Smith: We are doing more than ever before to provide the incentives, pay and professional development to attract and retain effective head teachers.
	The top of the leadership group pay spine in England and Wales has risen by 35 per cent. since 1997 to £93,327 now, with nearly £100,000 available in inner London. Schools and LAs have greater flexibility to award recruitment and retention incentives and they can set a head teacher's salary above the top of the pay spine. Vacancy rates for head teachers are low—0.8 per cent. in 2005.
	Through the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), we will continue to develop strong school leaders with the necessary skills to help us achieve our objective of raising standards for every pupil in every school. Since 2001, over 14,000 candidates have completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship, which prepares aspiring heads to take up headship posts in schools.
	And we have also asked the NCSL to consider how it can help schools make more effective succession planning arrangements and to work with governor associations and other key partners, including local authorities, to develop advice to governors on recruitment, selection and succession planning.

Home Education

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parents in Milton Keynes are educating their children at home.

Jacqui Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 23 January 2006, Official Report, columns 1915–916W.

Home Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parents in Coventry, South are educating their children at home.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 19 January 2006
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1915W.

Independent Schools

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils aged 11 years in each local education authority transferred to independent secondary schools in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available from (a) local authority schools and (b) grant maintained schools.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Independent Schools

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children of compulsory school age in each local education authority area attended independent schools in the last year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number and percentage of pupils in independent schoolsJanuary 2005—by local authority and Government office region in England
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age(14) 
			  Number of pupils in all schools (15) Number of pupils in independent schools Percentage of pupils in independent schools (16) 
		
		
			 England 6,913,400 434,750 6.3 
			 North East 348,260 10,380 3.0 
			 Darlington 14,108 605 4.3 
			 Durham 65,534 1,586 2.4 
			 Gateshead 25,372 662 2.6 
			 Hartlepool 13,506 0 0.0 
			 Middlesbrough 19,814 21 0.1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 34,382 3,740 10.9 
			 North Tyneside 25,851 778 3.0 
			 Northumberland 41,327 546 1.3 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 20,654 0 0.0 
			 South Tyneside 20,540 0 0.0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 27,504 1,465 5.3 
			 Sunderland 39,665 973 2.5 
			 
			 North West 976,710 43,000 4.4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 24,490 2,721 11.1 
			 Blackpool 19,982 872 4.4 
			 Bolton 41,219 2,521 6.1 
			 Bury 26,638 1,761 6.6 
			 Cheshire 95,434 6,737 7.1 
			 Cumbria 66,775 2,552 3.8 
			 Halton 16,975 4 0.0 
			 Knowsley 22,113 20 0.1 
			 Lancashire 158,271 4,803 3.0 
			 Liverpool 62,067 2,003 3.2 
			 Manchester 60,260 4,790 7.9 
			 Oldham 35,641 1,249 3.5 
			 Rochdale 30,565 354 1.2 
			 Salford 30,417 1,874 6.2 
			 Sefton 40,764 2,391 5.9 
			 St. Helens 24,873 649 2.6 
			 Stockport 40,301 3,807 9.4 
			 Tameside 32,039 160 0.5 
			 Trafford 31,476 1,801 5.7 
			 Warrington 27,580 6 0.0 
			 Wigan 43,086 34 0.1 
			 Wirral 45,740 1,887 4.1 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 705,620 25,700 3.6 
			 Barnsley 29,937 108 0.4 
			 Bradford 73,001 2,908 4.0 
			 Calderdale 29,777 1,075 3.6 
			 Doncaster 41,708 432 1.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 44,015 1,210 2.7 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 35,343 1,143 3.2 
			 Kirklees 55,937 1,624 2.9 
			 Leeds 95,810 4,081 4.3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 23,277 336 1.4 
			 North Lincolnshire 22,228 153 0.7 
			 North Yorkshire 79,358 4,868 6.1 
			 Rotherham 38,525 250 0.6 
			 Sheffield 66,661 2,369 3.6 
			 Wakefield 47,415 3,316 7.0 
			 York 22,629 1,826 8.1 
			 
			 East Midlands 596,070 25,190 4.2 
			 Derby 33,782 936 2.8 
			 Derbyshire 101,655 3,506 3.4 
			 Leicester 42,462 2,401 5.7 
			 Leicestershire 86,634 4,095 4.7 
			 Lincolnshire 91,739 3,431 3.7 
			 Northamptonshire 94,218 4,499 4.8 
			 Nottingham 35,980 2,574 7.2 
			 Nottinghamshire 103,816 2,421 2.3 
			 Rutland 5,781 1,327 23.0 
			 
			 West Midlands 765,120 31,440 4.1 
			 Birmingham 152,599 5,682 3.7 
			 Coventry 42,760 2,240 5.2 
			 Dudley 43,944 240 0.5 
			 Herefordshire 22,889 1,516 6.6 
			 Sandwell 41,739 10 0.0 
			 Shropshire 39,249 3,608 9.2 
			 Solihull 33,794 1,531 4.5 
			 Staffordshire 112,438 3,468 3.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 31,555 181 0.6 
			 Telford and Wrekin 24,575 644 2.6 
			 Walsall 40,214 837 2.1 
			 Warwickshire 70,606 4,674 6.6 
			 Wolverhampton 33,950 1,235 3.6 
			 Worcestershire 74,805 5,569 7.4 
			 
			 East of England 766,950 49,240 6.4 
			 Bedfordshire 57,468 4,269 7.4 
			 Cambridgeshire 74,095 5,816 7.8 
			 Essex 184,861 8,959 4.8 
			 Hertfordshire 158,191 17,096 10.8 
			 Luton 28,207 476 1.7 
			 Norfolk 102,813 4,899 4.8 
			 Peterborough 24,719 355 1.4 
			 Southend-on-Sea 23,949 1,121 4.7 
			 Suffolk 92,279 6,247 6.8 
			 Thurrock 20,370 0 0.0 
			 
			 London 969,380 94,200 9.7 
			 
			 Inner London 343,450 44,770 13.0 
			 Camden 21,849 5,360 24.5 
			 City of London 1,634 1,465 89.7 
			 Hackney 25,886 4,665 18.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 17,436 3,937 22.6 
			 Haringey 29,220 1,468 5.0 
			 Islington 19,513 365 1.9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 16,215 7,589 46.8 
			 Lambeth 24,721 1,626 6.6 
			 Lewisham 30,310 1,498 4.9 
			 Newham 41,372 516 1.2 
			 Southwark 34,116 3,781 11.1 
			 Tower Hamlets 30,680 875 2.9 
			 Wandsworth 29,762 6,472 21.7 
			 Westminster 20,739 5,151 24.8 
			 
			 Outer London 625,920 49,430 7.9 
			 Barking and Dagenham 25,183 0 0.0 
			 Barnet 42,236 4,695 11.1 
			 Bexley 34,440 542 1.6 
			 Brent 33,118 1,591 4.8 
			 Bromley 42,458 3,595 8.5 
			 Croydon 48,886 5,512 11.3 
			 Ealing 38,316 4,316 11.3 
			 Enfield 41,933 1,298 3.1 
			 Greenwich 31,140 2,067 6.6 
			 Harrow 28,989 3,557 12.3 
			 Havering 32,730 698 2.1 
			 Hillingdon 36,627 2,845 7.8 
			 Hounslow 28,999 798 2.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames 19,528 2,902 14.9 
			 Merton 21,571 2,790 12.9 
			 Redbridge 37,819 3,053 8.1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 24,006 6,482 27.0 
			 Sutton 26,254 1,313 5.0 
			 Waltham Forest 31,689 1,379 4.4 
			 
			 South East 1,116,520 110,690 9.9 
			 Bracknell Forest 14,821 1,932 13.0 
			 Brighton and Hove 29,169 3,070 10.5 
			 Buckinghamshire 69,158 6,532 9.4 
			 East Sussex 64,896 5,681 8.8 
			 Hampshire 170,767 12,819 7.5 
			 Isle of Wight 17,484 685 3.9 
			 Kent 195,945 14,165 7.2 
			 Medway 38,611 1,099 2.8 
			 Milton Keynes 31,279 837 2.7 
			 Oxfordshire 83,677 11,135 13.3 
			 Portsmouth 24,729 2,530 10.2 
			 Reading 15,709 2,249 14.3 
			 Slough 17,034 533 3.1 
			 Southampton 27,223 1,459 5.4 
			 Surrey 148,929 28,546 19.2 
			 West Berkshire 22,935 2,183 9.5 
			 West Sussex 101,434 8,698 8.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 20,479 4,262 20.8 
			 Wokingham 22,244 2,274 10.2 
			 
			 South West 668,780 44,930 6.7 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 24,798 3,178 12.8 
			 Bournemouth 19,304 1,175 6.1 
			 Bristol, City of 46,930 6,119 13.0 
			 Cornwall 66,027 2,047 3.1 
			 Devon 91,516 6,475 7.1 
			 Dorset 52,227 4,181 8.0 
			 Gloucestershire 80,677 6,332 7.8 
			 Isles of Scilly 232 0 0.0 
			 North Somerset 25,164 773 3.1 
			 Plymouth 33,684 900 2.7 
			 Poole 17,175 730 4.3 
			 Somerset 70,788 6,965 9.8 
			 South Gloucestershire 35,576 286 0.8 
			 Swindon 25,732 49 0.2 
			 Torbay 16,770 564 3.4 
			 Wiltshire 62,183 5,154 8.3 
		
	
	(14) Solely registered pupils aged 5 to 15.
	(15) Includes maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, direct grant nursery schools, special schools, pupil referral units, independent schools, city technology colleges and academies.
	(16) The number of pupils in independent schools expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils in all schools.
	Note:
	National and regional totals have been round to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Junior Schools

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the average amount of time taken by junior schools to complete the relevant application forms for local education authorities in order to hold (a) a nativity play and (b) other similar events in schools.

Jacqui Smith: If the forms in question were about health and safety, then we would recommend that local education authorities should not require schools to seek clearance from the authority for on-site events that involve no particularly hazardous activities. Schools can, and do, manage these themselves.

Languages

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the availability of teaching of each of the 20 languages most used in London.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold data centrally on languages spoken by schoolchildren in London. A survey undertaken in 2000 by Philip Baker for the School of Oriental and African Studies 1 indicated that there are over 300 languages spoken in London and that the 20 most common first languages are, in descending order of number of speakers, English, Bengali/Silheti, Panjabi, Gujerati, Hindi/Urdu, Turkish, Arabic, English based Creoles, Yoruba, Somali, Cantonese, Greek, Akan (Ashanti), Portuguese, French, Spanish, Tamil, Farsi, Italian and Vietnamese.
	The medium of instruction in maintained schools is English and all pupils learning English as an additional language (EAL) should be supported to acquire English. The Government's 'Aiming High' strategy for raising achievement of pupils learning EAL advocates that schools should make use of pupils first language in the classroom, where appropriate, as a tool for learning alongside learning English.
	1 Baker. P and Eversley, J (eds) (2000) Multilingual Capital, London: Battlebridge
	The Department does not hold data centrally on the provision of mother tongue teaching in London, however, it is known from local authority data, where available, that there is widespread provision for teaching community languages through supplementary schools. For example, supplementary schools in Croydon provide teaching in 23 languages and supplementary schools in Islington provide teaching in 30 languages. These schools are usually run by local communities and respond directly to local demand.

Languages

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 839, what definitions she uses of (a) aptitude and (b) academic ability in modern languages.

Jacqui Smith: 'Ability' is defined in statute by section 99(5)(b) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as 'either general ability or ability in any particular subject or subjects'. Paragraph 7.11 of the statutory School Admissions Code of Practice defines a pupil with aptitude as 'one who is identified as being able to benefit from teaching in a specific subject, or who demonstrates a particular capacity to succeed in that subject'.
	Admission authorities of schools have been able to select up to 10 per cent. of their intake based upon applicant's aptitude in certain prescribed subjects, which includes modern foreign languages. We allow this limited flexibility so that pupils with a relevant aptitude can gain access to particular schools with relevant specialist provision where they might not otherwise have been able to do so.

Learning and Skills Councils (London)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total budget of London's learning and skills councils was in each year since 2001; and how much was spent on (a) school sixth forms, (b) the further education sector, (c) work-based training for young people, (d) workforce development, (e) adult and community learning, (f) information and advice for adults, (g) education-business links and (h) administrative costs in each year.

Bill Rammell: I have overall responsibility for the LSC; however the operations of the LSC are managed and overseen by Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive. The Grant Letter and Priorities for Success sets the LSC budget for the year including a breakdown of school sixth forms, further education, work-based learning, and PCDL (ACL). Allocations within these overall categories to regional and local levels are a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom will write to the hon. Gentleman with further information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	The following table shows the total spend by the Greater London Region between 2001–02 and 2004–05 taken from the LSC's published accounts. Note that the LSC did not have responsibility for the funding of school sixth forms in 2001–02.
	
		£000
		
			  Greater London programme expenditure Total programme expenditure 
		
		
			 2001–02 843,690 5,133,291 
			 2002–03 1,226,159 7,356,739 
			 2003–04 1,446,923 8,569,725 
			 2004–05 1,512,792 9,011,547

Learning and Skills Councils (London)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to make London's learning and skills councils more accountable to the people who use their services as part of the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making to the lowest appropriate level.

Bill Rammell: The LSC is currently undergoing a radical restructuring exercise which will enable it to work even more effectively with local partners and stakeholders in identifying and responding to London's learning and skill needs. The existing local office structure will be replaced by a number of specialist local Partnership and Economic Development teams made up of experienced education and training professionals. They will work closely with local partners and stakeholders to ensure that properly funded education and training is available that meets the needs of learners and employers in the London area. These changes are in keeping with the Government's wider public sector reform agenda, which seeks to move responsibility for local delivery closer to the frontline. Each of the local LSC councils in London continue to include representatives from a wide range of local interests, including employers, local authorities and the voluntary and community sector.
	The LSC's proposals are currently out to consultation with staff and unions until the end of January, and the final agreed changes will take effect from summer 2006. We will also want to consider in due course the outcomes of the current consultation on the powers and responsibilities of the Greater London Authority.

National Complaints Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proposed powers of the National Complaints Service from Ofsted referred to on page 9 of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All".

Jacqui Smith: Subject to the passage of legislation, we intend to give Ofsted the power to investigate complaints by parents about matters which fall within Ofsted's inspection remit. Ofsted will consider complaints which concern the work of a school as a whole, rather than individual pupils or staff, and will expect parents to have previously sought resolution at a local level. In pursuance of an investigation, the school and the local authority may be required to provide information to Ofsted, and the school may be required to arrange a meeting between parents and inspectors. Ofsted will determine, in the light of its investigation, whether further action is necessary. This may include bringing forward a scheduled school inspection or carrying out an inspection without notice.

National Remodelling Team

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the work of the National Remodelling Team.

Jacqui Smith: The National Remodelling Team (NRT), part of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), works with my Department and the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) to support schools in implementing the provisions of the National Agreement on Raising Standards and Tackling Workload that was signed in January 2003 by the Government, employers and the majority of school work force unions.
	The NRT has also been supporting the pilots of the extended schools programme and is now supporting the national roll-out.

National Training Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the national training programme, referred to on page 10 of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All", will be funded.

Jacqui Smith: Through our existing National Strategies Programme, we will be delivering a national training programme free of charge to schools, to train leading professionals to help develop personalised learning in schools.
	In addition, we will be investing £565 million by 2007–08 to support personalisation in primary and secondary schools and a further £60 million in each of the next two years to provide effective one-to-one and small group tuition for the lowest attaining pupils in targeted schools.

Neighbourhood Nurseries

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which (a) private, (b) voluntary sector and (c) public sector organisations participated in the delivery of (i) Neighbourhood Nurseries, (ii) the extended schools programme, (iii) children's trusts and (iv) early excellence centres in each year for which information is available.

Beverley Hughes: The Department works closely with all sectors and maintains strong links with local authorities, schools, Primary Care Trusts, and other public sector bodies, as well as a wide range of private and voluntary organisations. This enables us to establish and sustain high quality provision that meets children's needs, and offers parents real choice and diversity. We also encourage organisations from different sectors to act together, pooling resources and expertise.
	Data are not available on the private, voluntary and public sector organisations that have been involved in the delivery of Neighbourhood Nurseries, the extended schools programme, children's trusts and Early Excellence Centres.

New School Providers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who will be authorised to approve or reject the establishment of new schools as proposed in the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All".

Jacqui Smith: We propose that the decision-maker for proposals for new schools should normally be the local authority in its modernised role as the commissioner, rather than direct provider, of education. There will however be a range of circumstances in which proposals may be referred to schools adjudicator for decision.

North Somerset

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to increase the average funding per schoolchild in North Somerset to the average level of funding in (a) the West Country and (b) England.

Jacqui Smith: The level of funding per pupil received through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) reflects the characteristics of children in each authority: authorities receive more funding if they have higher numbers of children living in deprived circumstances. That is because pupils from more deprived backgrounds are likely to have additional educational needs, and to require additional help if they are to have an equal chance to succeed. North Somerset's average level of funding per pupil mainly reflects the authority's lower than average level of deprivation. The Government will review the operation of a number of aspects of the new school funding arrangements, including the DSG distribution, but in doing so it will continue to aim to give all pupils an equal opportunity in life.

One-to-One Tuition

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils she estimates will be eligible for targeted one-to-one tuition in (a) English and (b) mathematics; and what estimate she has made of the cost of the proposed provision.

Jacqui Smith: Our recent White Paper—Higher Standards, Better Schools for All—sets out this Government's determination to ensure every child masters the basics of literacy and numeracy. There will be an extra investment of £565 million by 2007–08 to support personalisation in primary and secondary schools, focusing particularly on helping children who have fallen behind in English and mathematics. A further £60 million will be available in each of the next two years to provide effective one-to-one and small group tuition for the lowest attaining pupils in targeted schools.
	It will be for each school, with support from the National Strategies, School Improvement Partners and other local authority school improvement staff, to decide the type and pattern of provision they need to meet the learning needs of their pupils, and how to make the best use of small group and one-to-one tuition.

Overcrowded Housing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of overcrowded housing conditions on the educational prospects of children.

Maria Eagle: A research review commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2003 found some indication that there is a relationship between overcrowding and children's educational attainment, and between overcrowding and children's social and emotional development. However, the research evidence on the effects of overcrowding on attainment is limited. It is also hard to separate any direct effect of overcrowding from the effect of other associated factors, such as poverty and degree of parental involvement in education. Current evidence suggests that any direct effect of overcrowding on attainment is likely to be small.

Parent Councils

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will prescribe the powers of parent councils in (a) trust schools and (b) non-trust schools.

Jacqui Smith: We will require foundation schools with a foundation (trust schools), where the trust appoints the majority of governors, to establish a parent council. Parent councils will have a consultative and advisory role. We will encourage other schools to have a parent council but will not require them to do so.

Parenting Contracts/Orders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parenting (a) contracts and (b) orders have been applied in schools in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: My Department started to collect data regarding parenting contracts and parenting orders (in cases of non-attendance and exclusions from school) from September 2004. The data are provided at local authority level.
	Between September 2004 and 31 July 2005 local authorities in England reported that 6,135 education-related parenting contracts were agreed with parents and 427 education-related parenting orders were imposed by the courts. Data for autumn 2005 will be published in March 2006.

Pension Contributions

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) her Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Maria Eagle: The actual cost of the employer pension contributions incurred by the Department for Education and Skills and their Non-Departmental Public Bodies for the last three financial years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 DfES (SE, NW, S.Yorks) 15,573,000 17,497,000 17,535,000 
			 Adult Learning Inspectorate (E. Mids) 1,418,000 1,610,000 1,646,000 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England (SW) 906,000 1,016,000 1,073,000 
			 Learning and Skills Council (E.Mids) 15,744,000 16,109,000 16,413,000 
			 Partnership for Schools (SE) — — 81,000 
			 Qualification and Curriculum Agency (SE) 2,213,000 2,337,000 2,506,000 
			 Training and Development Agency For Schools (SE) 701,000 911,000 1,020,000 
			 Sector Skills Development Agency (S.Yorks) 90,000 267,000 348,000 
			 General Teaching Council (E. Mids) — — 538,000 
		
	
	For 2005–06, employers' contributions are payable to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) at one of four rates in the ranges 16.2 per cent. to 24.6 per cent. of pensionable pay, based on salary bands. The Scheme Actuary reviews employer contributions every four years following a full scheme valuation; last carried out as at 31 March 2003. The contribution rates reflect the cost of benefits as they accrue (net of employee contributions), not the costs as they are actually incurred, and reflect past experience of the scheme.
	The planned estimated costs for 2005–06 are:
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 DfES 18,549,000 
			 All 2,212,000 
			 HEFCE 1,566,000 
			 LSC 22,525,000 
			 P4S 104,000 
			 QCA 4,000,000 
			 TDA 1,271,000 
			 SSDA 358,000 
			 GTC 692,000

Post-16 Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the (a) further and (b) higher education participation rate was in each ward in each local authority area, broken down by region, for the last year for which figures are available:
	(2)  what the staying-on rates were for 16-year-olds in full-time education in each local authority area in 2005.

Bill Rammell: Participation rates, as a percentage of the local population are not available at ward level. Participation rates for those aged 16 and 17, in schools, FE colleges, LSC funded work-based learning and part-time education are available for local education authorities (LEAs) in England. The latest available figures are for 2003 and these were published in the Statistical First Release Participation in education and training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in England"—SFR11/2005 on 31 March 2005.
	The publication is accessible on the DfES website via the link, http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/index.shtml.
	LEA detail is available through the link: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/SFR11– 2005tables_lea.xls.
	Participation rates for young people in higher education are available for LEAs and for parliamentary constituencies in England, Wales and Scotland. The latest available figures are for 2000 and were released alongside the report Young Participation in Higher Education" by HEFCE in January 2005.
	The publication is accessible on the HEFCE website via the link, http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/.
	LEA detail is available through the link, http://www.hefce.ac.uk/widen/polar/extra/lea/.

Primary Schools

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on subsidies for primary schools in the Bournemouth area for daily school milk.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The EU funds a scheme which subsidises the provision of milk to primary and nursery schools. In England the Government supplements the EU subsidy for primary schools by payment of an annual maximum of £1.5 million in national aid. Participation in the scheme, which is administered by the Rural Payments Agency, is entirely a matter for schools or local education authorities. Bournemouth Borough Council is on the Agency's register of subsidy claimants.

Protection of Children Act

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many checks against the Protection of Children Act list were made in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average time taken to respond to each check was in the last period for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: I have been asked to reply.
	The Criminal Records Bureau's Standard and Enhanced Disclosures will include a check against the Protection of Children Act (POCA) list where this is requested on the application form. The total number of Disclosures issued in 2005 containing a check against the POCA list was 2,005,205. There are no figures available to determine the average time taken to process a POCA check because the check forms part of the overall internal CRB Disclosure process and figures are not collated centrally.

Pupil Referral Units

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places have been provided in off-site pupil referral units in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect data on the number of places that pupil referral units (PRUs) have available. However, we collect data on the number of pupils who were being educated in PRUs at the time of the annual school census. The table sets out the number of pupils who were attending PRUs only at the time of the census, as well as those who were attending both a PRU and another educational institution for their education.
	
		
			  Number of pupils attending PRUs only Number of pupils attending a PRU and another institution 
		
		
			 2001 9,290 4,990 
			 2002 9,960 4,970 
			 2003 12,010 5,520 
			 2004 13,040 7,290 
			 2005 14,470 8,010 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual schools' census—Pupil Referral Units.

School Admissions

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of secondary school places were allocated at age 11 years on the basis of aptitude tests in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available in (a) local authority schools and (b) grant maintained schools;
	(2)  how many secondary school places in each London borough were allocated at age 11 years on the basis of aptitude tests in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available in (a) local authority schools and (b) grant maintained schools.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is not collected centrally.

School Admissions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools and academies that use banding in their admissions policies.

Jacqui Smith: Until 1998, admission authorities for schools were not required to seek approval of statutory proposals to introduce banding arrangements. Therefore, we have no data on the number of maintained schools that introduced banding pre-1998, and who continue to operate it. Since 1998, the following 13 maintained schools have introduced banding to their admission policies:
	Kingsthorpe Community College
	Duston Upper School
	Trinity School
	Western Favell Upper School
	Lings School
	Northampton School for Girls
	Mereway Upper College
	Kings College
	The Central Technology College
	Holland Park School
	Northolt High School
	Hull Trinity House School
	Cardinal Pole Roman Catholic School
	At present, 10 academies include banding in their admission policies. These are:
	The Business Academy Bexley
	The City of London Academy (Southwark)
	The Academy at Peckham
	Walsall Academy
	Mossbourne
	Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy
	Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College Academy
	Dixons City Academy
	The Macmillan Academy
	Unity City Academy

School Leavers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils left secondary school with no qualifications in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The figures requested are included in the following table.
	
		Percentage of 15-year-old pupils(17) achieving no passes at GCSE and equivalent(18):1997–2005(19)
		
			  No passes at GCSE and equivalent(18) 
			 Local authority(20) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005(18) 
		
		
			 Camden 8.6 6.4 6.9 5.9 4.1 6.1 4.8 3.9 3.4 
			 Greenwich 12.2 10.0 9.7 6.9 7.4 6.8 6.5 4.6 5.0 
			 Hackney 7.9 6.9 7.3 6.8 6.9 8.7 5.1 2.5 3.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 8.1 6.5 4.5 0.6 3.9 2.7 3.7 3.0 3.2 
			 Islington 13.5 9.8 9.1 8.3 11.4 11.6 5.1 4.4 4.4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4.5 7.5 6.8 6.7 3.8 4.7 5.6 4.7 3.3 
			 Lambeth 5.9 5.8 4.5 3.0 4.5 3.6 4.0 2.5 3.2 
			 Lewisham 8.2 5.9 5.3 6.0 7.1 4.3 5.2 3.7 2.8 
			 Southwark 7.6 6.2 5.3 2.0 4.7 4.4 5.2 5.0 4.2 
			 Tower Hamlets 9.3 5.0 4.2 2.4 3.5 1.9 3.9 3.0 3.8 
			 Wandsworth 6.6 6.7 5.0 3.0 4.8 4.2 7.2 4.6 3.7 
			 Westminster 12.4 12.7 8.4 5.3 6.1 5.9 4.9 4.1 3.8 
			 Barking and Dagenham 8.7 7.3 5.5 3.0 4.9 7.1 5.1 4.2 3.6 
			 Barnet 6.4 6.5 6.9 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.1 3.5 
			 Bexley 4.3 4.2 3.6 4.5 4.5 3.4 3.4 2.6 1.7 
			 Brent 4.7 5.8 5.1 1.5 3.8 3.8 4.1 3.2 2.5 
			 Bromley 4.8 3.5 4.1 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.1 2.1 
			 Croydon 6.6 5.8 4.6 3.2 4.0 3.9 4.6 3.1 2.4 
			 Ealing 7.1 5.7 4.4 1.5 1.8 0.8 3.4 2.5 2.2 
			 Enfield 6.7 5.4 3.5 2.9 3.2 4.2 4.5 3.5 3.5 
			 Haringey 11.4 7.8 7.4 7.0 7.9 8.1 9.8 7.0 5.5 
			 Harrow 4.6 4.3 4.3 3.3 3.3 2.6 4.3 2.7 3.5 
			 Havering 4.2 4.2 2.6 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.2 2.3 2.3 
			 Hillingdon 8.3 6.7 6.6 4.8 3.8 5.3 6.4 5.9 4.2 
			 Hounslow 6.7 4.6 5.4 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.9 3.6 2.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames 7.5 7.5 5.6 6.9 6.0 8.3 5.1 3.3 3.0 
			 Merton 9.8 7.7 8.1 7.4 6.3 8.7 7.8 6.4 4.9 
			 Newham 4.9 3.2 3.5 0.0 2.4 0.6 2.0 1.8 1.4 
			 Redbridge 2.8 2.3 1.4 0.8 2.1 1.4 2.2 2.1 2.2 
			 Richmond upon Thames 6.5 3.6 4.2 4.4 5.8 6.6 3.4 2.9 3.6 
			 Sutton 5.0 4.5 3.2 3.5 4.0 3.3 3.6 2.9 2.8 
			 Waltham Forest 8.0 7.7 6.7 6.5 6.4 4.8 6.4 6.5 5.3 
		
	
	(17) The figures shown relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year.
	(18) Figures for 1997 to 2003 include GCSE and GNVQs only. Figures for 2004 and 2005 include GCSEs and other approved qualifications.
	(19) 2005 figures are revised. Figures for 1997 to 2004 are finalised.
	(20) Local authority figures include all maintained schools and exclude independent schools, non-maintained special schools and independent special schools.

School Maintenance

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on (a) repairing and (b) rebuilding schools in the Ruislip-Northwood constituency in each year since 1992.

Jacqui Smith: Capital allocations to local authorities and schools are higher than ever before. In 2005–06 they are £5.5 billion and they are planned to rise to £6.3 billion in 2007–08, an increase from £683 million in 1996–97.
	Central records on capital expenditure are held from 1996–97. Allocations are made directly to local authorities and schools and not at constituency level. Capital allocations made to Hillingdon local authority and its schools since 1997 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1996–97 3.9 
			 1997–98 2.8 
			 1998–99 23.1 
			 1999–2000 5.5 
			 2000–01 10.9 
			 2001–02 8.7 
			 2002–03 25.6 
			 2003–04 14.8 
			 2004–05 18.9 
			 2005–06 12.3 
		
	
	Note:
	1998–99 and 2002–03 figures include Private Finance Initiative credits of £18.4 million and £14.6 million respectively.
	We expect local authorities and schools to take decisions locally on allocating funds on school repairs and rebuilding schools in accordance with their local asset management plan. Accordingly, records of these categories of capital expenditure are not held centrally.

School Staff (Checks)

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how long foreign nationals may work as teachers in a school before having to register with the General Teaching Council.

Jacqui Smith: Overseas trained teachers can teach in England for up to four years without Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). If they wish to continue to work in maintained schools for longer than four years they must gain QTS via the appropriate TDA approved route and register with the General Teaching Council (GTC).
	Directive 89/48EEC facilitates the free movement of any national of an EEA member state (MS) wishing to pursue a regulated profession in a host MS. Therefore a migrant teacher with the relevant qualification is given automatic recognition under the directive and they are awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) following an application to the GTC. Again, once they have gained QTS they will have to register with the GTC to teach in a maintained school.

School Transport

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ask the Children's Commissioner to undertake a review of local authority tendering processes for school transport to ensure vulnerable children are protected.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills advises that employers should carry out criminal record checks on anyone working with children, and is actively considering whether more guidance is needed in relation to child protection and school transport. At the moment, we have no plans to involve the Children's Commissioner.
	The Children's Commissioner is independent of Government and free to look at any issue he considers relevant in promoting awareness of the views and interests of children. If the Secretary of State asks the Children's Commissioner to look at a particular matter, unless it involves holding an enquiry into the case of an individual child, he is free to decline.

Schools (Extended Hours)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools offer extended hours from 8 am to 6 pm; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Many schools are open before and after normal schools hours offering child care and study support type activities. We know, through a baseline survey of extended services in schools published in September 2005 that 40 per cent. of primary schools and 61 per cent. of secondary schools are providing some before school child care or activities, and that 87 per cent. of primary schools and 95 per cent. of secondary schools are providing some after school child care or activities, though only a small number, 2 per cent. of primary schools and 0.5 per cent. of secondary schools, provided access to the 8 am to 6 pm child care all year round.
	We have committed £840 million to developing extended services, including high quality 8 am to 6 pm all year round child care, study support, and before and after school clubs so that they are accessible through all our schools by 2010. We have also appointed the National Remodelling Team to provide support to schools and local authorities in developing extended services. Good progress is being made with 4,400 schools, thus far, indicating their willingness to work on developing extended services.

Schools Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level was of local authority spending on education (a) in total and (b) per student in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06; what the dedicated schools grant proposed (A) in total and (B) per student in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is for 2006–07; and what the cash spending increase is (1) in total and (2) per pupil between 2005–06 and 2006–07.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 24 January 2006
	Total education spending by Newcastle-Upon-Tyne local authority in 2004–05 was £185 million, including spending on provision outside schools. The Department is currently working on figures for spending on school provision for 2004–05 that are comparable with the Dedicated Schools Grant, on both a cash and per pupil basis, and will place them in the Library as soon as they are available.
	The Dedicated Schools Grant 2005–06 baseline per pupil for Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is £3,390. In 2006–07 the guaranteed per pupil unit of funding is £3,640, an increase of 7.3 per cent. The total DSG allocation will not be finalised until May 2006 when the January 2006 pupil figures are finalised. In addition, while authorities must apply the whole of their allocation of DSG to their Schools Budget, they are free to add to it from their own resources. Final figures for total budgeted expenditure per pupil for 2006–07 may therefore be higher than the authority's allocation of DSG per pupil for that year.

Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of direct support grant allocated to those Shropshire schools with deficits for the next financial year.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills pays dedicated schools grant (DSG) to local authorities, to provide for those items that are included in each local authority's schools budget, which consists of the delegated budgets allocated to individual schools, and a budget for other provision for pupils which local authorities fund centrally. Each local authority then decides, in consultation with its Schools Forum, on the distribution of funding between its schools. The national formula for distribution of DSG does not take account of the level of deficit at an authority's schools and, normally, local authority formulae for distributing funding do not do so either. However, it is open to an authority to distribute additional funding to a school which is in financial difficulties. Where a school is in deficit, it should agree a plan with its local authority to eliminate the deficit over a three-year period.

Skills for Life

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Government have allocated to the Skills for Life campaign in each year since its inception; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to table 13 of the NAO's report Skills for Life: Improving adult literacy and numeracy", 15 December 2004, which sets out estimated actual spend on Skills for Life from 2000–01. Copies of this report have been placed in the House Libraries. Confirmed spend for 2004/05 is not yet available.

Skills for Life

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will increase funding (a) for the skills strategy and (b) to assist those young people who do not have adequate skills in communication, numeracy and literacy.

Jacqui Smith: The Skills for Life Strategy to address adult literacy, language and numeracy skills, which forms part of the wider Skills Strategy, covers all young people and adults aged 16 and above. Therefore young people aged 16–19, who for whatever reason, have not gained the literacy and numeracy skills they need for life and work, are included in the strategy. Around 39 per cent. of Skills for Life learners are 16–18 year olds. Since 2001, the Government have invested £3.7 billion to develop an infrastructure, put in place standards, curriculum and qualifications and help millions of young people and adults to improve their skills.
	As part of the forthcoming comprehensive Spending Review, the Department is actively considering the future resource needs to meet the ambitious Skills for Life aims and the objectives of the wider Skills Strategy.

Special Educational Needs

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases have been referred to the academies special educational needs dispute resolution service; and from which academies.

Jacqui Smith: The Academies Special Educational Needs Dispute Resolution Service is an independent service, which Academy Principals can choose to access. As such, no cases are referred to the service, and as an independent resource, information on which academies have called on it is not held centrally.

Special Educational Needs

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what budget she has allocated for the academies special educational needs dispute resolution service; for what period of time; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Academies SEN Dispute Resolution Service has a budget of £81,500 for the period 1 December 2004 to 30 November 2006. The Academies SEN Dispute Resolution Service was introduced to facilitate timely decisions made at local level about the naming of an Academy in a child's statement of SEN.

Special Educational Needs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on the provision of special needs education in each local authority area (a) in real terms and (b) at today's prices in each of the last 20 years.

Jacqui Smith: The available information has been placed in the House Libraries. We do not have comparable data prior to 2000–01.

Sure Start

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total Sure Start budget was in each year since its inception; and what the projected budget is in each of the next three years.

Beverley Hughes: Details of actual and planned expenditure on Sure Start, child care and nursery education from 1999–2000 to 2007–08 are published in Table 12.2 of the Department for Education and Skills' Departmental Report (Cm 6522). To reflect the increasing integration of services for young children and families, from 2003–04 funding for child care and nursery education was merged into Sure Start:
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Sure start Child care Nursery education Total 
		
		
			 1999–00 7 56 150 213 
			 2000–01 56 65 247 368 
			 2001–02 134 109 224 467 
			 2002–03 216 158 306 680 
			 2003–04 721 721 
			 2004–05(21) 927 927 
			 2005–06 1,140 1,140 
			 2006–07 1,696 1,696 
			 2007–08 1,809 1,809 
		
	
	(21) Outturn in DfES Resource Accounts 2004–05 (HC 686)

Teachers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching posts were vacant in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997; and what the average vacancy rate for local education authorities in England was in each year.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the number of full-time teacher vacancies in maintained nursery, primary, and secondary schools in Milton Keynes local authority and vacancy rates for Milton Keynes and England in each January since 1997.
	Milton Keynes local authority was created from within the former Buckinghamshire local authority on 1 April 1997. Therefore, no figures are available for January 1997.
	
		Full-time teacher vacancy numbers(22) and rates(23) in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in Milton Keynes and England, January 1997 to 2005.
		
			  Milton Keynes England 
			  Nursery/Primary Secondary Nursery/Primary Secondary 
			  Vacancy numbers Vacancy rates (Percentage) Vacancy numbers Vacancy rates (Percentage) Vacancy Vacancy rates (Percentage) 
		
		
			 1997 .. .. .. .. 0.6 0.4 
			 1998 5 0.6 0 0.0 0.8 0.6 
			 1999 8 0.9 2 0.3 0.8 0.5 
			 2000 6 0.7 1 0.1 0.8 0.7 
			 2001 11 1.3 8 1.2 1.2 1.4 
			 2002 9 1.0 2 0.3 1.0 1.3 
			 2003 9 1.0 2 0.3 0.6 1.1 
			 2004 7 0.7 9 1.2 0.5 0.9 
			 2005 8 0.8 13 1.7 0.4 0.8 
		
	
	(22) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term.
	(23) Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post i.e. full-time regular teachers in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, plus full-time regular divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers.
	Source:
	DfES annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618G).

Teachers

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers of (a) Australian, (b) New Zealand, (c) South African, (d) Malawian, (e) Ghanaian, (f) Namibian, (g) Kenyan and (h) Nigerian nationality are working in schools in the UK.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Teachers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support her Department has offered to trainee teachers since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: Since September 2000, we have provided £6,000 bursaries to PGCE trainee teachers in a range of priority subjects. From September 2005, the bursary for mathematics and science trainees rose to £7,000, and from September 2006 it will increase to £9,000 for all priority subject trainees.
	We have provided Golden Helios to those who go on to teach priority subjects since 1998 when £5,000 Golden Helios were introduced for postgraduate trainees in mathematics and science. New style £4,000 Golden Helios, paid after induction is completed, were introduced in 2000/01 for those who trained and teach priority subjects, maths, science, modem languages and technology. For those training in maths and science from September 2005, Golden Helios increased to £5,000. In June 2005, I announced Golden Helios from 2006/07 of £5,000 for maths and science trainees and £2,500 for other priority subjects, including extending Golden Hello payments to trainees in RE and Music.

Teachers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to reduce the level of violent incidents against teachers.

Jacqui Smith: The great majority of schools are safe and orderly places, but we are determined to reduce the risk of violence to an absolute minimum. To achieve that we are:
	legislating to give heads, teachers and other school staff a clear statutory power to discipline pupils, to reaffirm their statutory right to use reasonable force in certain circumstances and to give them a new power to search pupils for weapons;
	developing specific violence reduction advice and training, in co-operation with associations representing heads and other school staff.
	In addition we have:
	given every secondary school access to high-quality behaviour management training materials and expert advice from behaviour management consultants;
	funded extra support for schools facing the greatest challenges through our Excellence in Cities and Behaviour Improvement Programmes;
	provided £120 million for school security improvements since 1997;
	given schools a legal toolkit on how to ban aggressive parents from the site and have them removed and prosecuted if they flout the ban; and
	helped to establish over 400 Safer Schools Partnerships that base police officers in schools.
	Also, we are:
	giving every primary school access to high-quality training and curriculum materials for developing pupils' social, emotional and behavioural skills and developing similar materials for secondary schools.
	The Department has confirmed that it is committed to backing head teachers' authority when pupils' behaviour warrants exclusion. We have made clear that heads can permanently exclude pupils who are very disruptive or violent even where this is a first or 'one off' offence. Guidance for exclusion appeal panels makes clear that an exclusion should not normally be overturned in a range of circumstances, including where there has been violence or the threat of violence. For less extreme offences head teachers may exclude pupils for a fixed period or may impose detention.

Teachers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers in maintained schools in England have left the profession in each year since 1998.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of teachers leaving service is published on the department's website at the following URL:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000633/index.shtml
	Table C1c refers. They are also available in the House of Commons Library.
	Although the numbers of teachers leaving service has risen since 1998 the number of new entrants has shown a greater increase. As a result the number of teachers in service has risen continually since 1998 and the full-time equivalent number of teachers in service is now 32,700 higher than in 1997. Between 2004 and 2005 the increase was 4,200. Teacher numbers are now at their highest level since 1981.
	The numbers of early retirements reduced in 1998–99 following changes in the Teachers' Pensions Regulations and this is reflected in the table.

Teachers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time teachers and (b) teaching assistants were employed in the Shropshire local education authority area in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the number of full-time regular teachers and the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants employed in Shropshire local authority in each January since 1997. Teaching assistant data can only be provided on a FTE basis. The FTE of regular teachers has been provided for consistency.
	Telford and Wrekin local authority was created from within the former Shropshire local authority on 1 April 1998. Figures have been provided for this authority for comparison purposes.
	
		Full-time regular teachers and full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin local authorities.
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Teachers(24)  
			 Full-time  
			 Shropshire 3,080 3,090 1,760 1,860 1,890 1,920 1,880 1,850 1,810 
			 Telford and Wrekin n/a n/a 1,250 1,230 1,290 1,300 1,340 1,320 1,280 
			 FTE  
			 Shropshire 3,330 3,350 1,940 2,050 2,110 2,140 2,110 2,110 2,080 
			 Telford and Wrekin n/a n/a 1,360 1,340 1,410 1,420 1,470 1,450 1,420 
			   
			 Teaching assistants(25)(26)  
			 FTE  
			 Shropshire 520 560 360 390 490 590 760 800 780 
			 Telford and Wrekin n/a n/a 260 280 370 390 480 530 580 
		
	
	n/a=Not applicable.
	(24) DfES annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, 618g.
	(25) Annual school census.
	(26) Includes non maintained special schools.

Truancy

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her proposed fines for parents of unsupervised children during school hours will apply to parents in receipt of income support and jobseeker's allowance.

Jacqui Smith: Yes. The proposed offence will require the parents of pupils who have been excluded from school to ensure that their child is not in a public place during normal school hours without reasonable justification during the first five days of exclusion.
	Failure to do so could result in a penalty notice. Failure to pay the penalty will result in prosecution which could lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Courts must take ability to pay into account in setting the level of any fine.

University Places

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the introduction of top-up fees on the level of applications for university admissions in (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Latest figures published by Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that accepted applicants from England to full-time undergraduate courses rose by 9 per cent. in 2005/06. This was a larger than usual increase. We might therefore expect a slight fall in application numbers for the 2006 entry and then a return to a long-term upward trend, as experienced in 1997 and 1998 when the last major change to student support arrangements was introduced.
	Latest figures for 2006/07, covering students who applied by mid-October to Oxbridge or to medical and dentistry courses, show that applicants from the UK were down by 2 per cent. However, these are early figures and only give a partial picture. The first major milestone in the application cycle is mid-January, which is the advisory closing date for applications from UK domiciled students. Figures for the number of students who had applied by this point will be published by UCAS in mid-February, and these will give a more reliable indication of trends.

Year 12 Pupils

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of year 12 pupils left school before the end of the academic year in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Young Parents (Education)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what national target she has set for increasing the number of (a) pregnant teenagers and (b) parents aged 16-to-18 years in learning.

Phil Hope: The teenage pregnancy strategy includes a target—shared with the Connexions service—to increase the proportion of teenage mothers aged 16-to-19 in education, employment or training (EET) to 60 per cent. by 2010.

Youth Clubs

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate how many youth clubs were available for young people in (a) the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood, (b) the London borough of Hillingdon, (c) Greater London and (d) England in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Youth clubs are delivered locally by local authority youth services and national and local voluntary youth organisations. Information is not held centrally on the number of youth clubs run by each individual local authority.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Artists Resale Levy

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1760W, on the artists' resale levy, what independent economic research is referred to; and what aspects of this research differ from previous research on this subject.

Barry Gardiner: The economic research referred to is the 'Scoping Study: Artist's Resale Right' published on the Patent Office website. This was an independent study commissioned to consider the impact of resale right on a range of parties. It considered the number of sales affected, the number of UK artists likely to benefit from resale right and the costs of administering the right. This study was based on the most recent figures available and was able to take in a wider range of data than had previously been possible. The authors of this study spoke to representatives of both the art market and the artists.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) staff and (b) students were employed at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology stations in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC science budget allocation has doubled since 1997 to £334 million for this year, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the quality of environmental research in the UK. NERC is currently consulting widely with stakeholders on proposals on how best CEH can contribute on a sustainable basis to this. I have asked the Chief Executive of NERC to write to my hon. Friend with details of staff and student numbers at CEH.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what areas of scientific research will be (a) reduced and (b) discontinued following the proposed Centre for Ecology and Hydrology closures.

Barry Gardiner: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) science budget allocation has doubled since 1997 to £334 million for this year, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the quality of environmental research in the UK. NERC has published a business plan for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) for consultation. This is available at http://www.nerc.ac.uk/consult/ceh/ceh-businessplan.pdf It contains details of the proposals for the future of CEH, which reflect NERC's consideration of its scientific priorities, and how best CEH can contribute to these on a sustainable basis.
	Under the proposed new structure, CEH would continue to deliver its current six science programmes. Final decisions on specific areas of research that would be reduced or discontinued await the outcome of the public and staff consultation processes and subsequent decision by NERC Council.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) domestic awards have been won, (b) international science awards have been won and (c) papers have been published in Nature by scientists working at the laboratories which will be closed under the proposed restructuring of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Alan Johnson: It will take some time for the Natural Environmental Research Council to collate this data, and I have asked the chief executive of NERC to write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many endangered species in the UK the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has been credited with saving from extinction.

Barry Gardiner: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) carries out research on, and monitoring of, various aspects of the natural environment, including endangered species. The research findings are used by Government Departments and others in forming policy and taking action, including on endangered species.
	Research by CEH or its precursor organisations has contributed to the development of species action plans (SAPs) for at least six plant species, and improved understanding of the lifecycle requirements of, or the impact of human activities on, several vulnerable or threatened animal species including 15 butterfly species, two fish species, the otter, smooth snake, peregrine, sparrowhawk, golden-eagle, capercaillie, black grouse, Scottish crossbill and bullfinch.
	The CEH business plan (www.nerc.ac.uk/consult/ceh/businessplan.asp) indicates that research in biodiversity (which includes these areas of research) would be expected to continue following the proposed restructuring.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many environmental research projects Government Departments and agencies have commissioned the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to undertake in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much funding the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology received in each year since 1997; and what the proposed funding totals are for the next five years.

Barry Gardiner: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The science budget allocation to NERC has doubled since 1997, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the quality of environmental research in the UK. NERC is currently consulting widely with stakeholders on proposals on how best CEH can contribute on a sustainable basis to this.
	NERC has been asked to collate data on projects commissioned at CEH from Government Departments and agencies, and on funding of CEH. I shall ask the chief executive of NERC to write to the hon. Member on these points.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact which the proposed Centre for Ecology and Hydrology closures will have on schools, colleges and universities with which it has educational and training links.

Barry Gardiner: The Government provide funding to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to support research and related postgraduate training in environmental sciences in the UK. NERC has published a business plan for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) for consultation. This proposed plan used the output from a strategic review which included information concerning links with schools, colleges and universities. In particular, collaborative research links with universities were one of many factors analysed to inform the proposed retained-site locations.
	Although the proposed closure of sites would inevitably affect some local links, particularly with schools, CEH and NERC would continue to support educational outreach activities and interaction with academic and other partners.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.

Alan Johnson: A trawl of DTI Directorates and its Agencies has identified some 50 research projects. These are being collated into a table and I will write to the hon. Member with the details very shortly and place copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses. Published reports are listed on the Department's website http://www.dti. gov.uk/publications/.

Electricity Generation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated by the Department into the potential for using waste heat from the chemical industry to produce electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has commissioned no specific research. However, the Carbon Trust has launched Project Bolt to examine the potential for the commercialisation of projects linking providers and purchasers of waste heat.

Electricity Generation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that new EU rules on coal-fired power stations do not lead to a fall in electricity generated from coal.

Malcolm Wicks: In consultation with industry and with their support, we have done everything possible to ensure that coal fired power stations have been given that maximum degree of flexibility in how they meet EU regulations. For example, the Government have been successful in securing Commission agreement to our proposed implementation of the large combustion plants directive, thereby ensuring that coal-fired power stations which opt in to compliance with the LCPD and invest in flue gas desulphurisation are not subject to an absolute cap on the amount of electricity they generate.
	It is, however, for the owners of coal-fired power stations to decide whether to opt in and make the investment, and how much electricity to generate from those stations.

Energy Imports

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) coal and (b) gas was imported during the last year for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin.

Malcolm Wicks: Imports of coal and other solid fuels by country of origin during 2004 are shown in the table. In the same year 95,363GWh of gas were imported from Norway and 37,670GWh were imported via the Zeebrugge to Bacton interconnector. It is not possible to identify where gas imported through the interconnector was physically sourced.
	
		Imports of coal and solid fuel by country of origin 2004 -- Thousand tonnes
		
			 2004 Steam coal Coking coal Anthracite Other solid fuel 
		
		
			 European Union 
			 Belgium/Luxembourg 6 — 5 18 
			 Denmark — — — 1 
			 Estonia — — 22 — 
			 France 32 — 18 8 
			 Germany 8 — 5 49 
			 Irish Republic 34 — 6 8 
			 Italy — — — 37 
			 Latvia — — 11 5 
			 Netherlands 183 — 10 38 
			 Poland 1,205 — 3 18 
			 Portugal 8 — — — 
			 Spain 24 — — — 
			 Sweden — — — 19 
			 Total European Union 1,500 — 80 199 
			 Australia 2,035 4,140 — 25 
			 Canada 25 715 — 18 
			 Colombia 3,630 — — 53 
			 Indonesia 1,458 — — — 
			 Norway 138 — — 2 
			 People's Republic of China 190 — 43 432 
			 Republic of South Africa 10,105 — 39 — 
			 Russia 9,776 148 8 142 
			 United States of America 717 1,342 2 — 
			 Venezuela 39 — — — 
			 Vietnam — — 23 — 
			 Other countries — — — 179 
			 Total all countries 29,614 6,345 194 1,051

Energy Imports

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the peak import rate of gas into the United Kingdom via the Bacton Interconnector has been to date in winter 2005–06; and what the average rate was for the 10 highest days.

Malcolm Wicks: In the period 1 October 2005 to 24 January 2006, the highest daily import of natural gas through the Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector was 379 GWh; this occurred on 9 January. The average rate for the ten highest consecutive days was 310 GWh per day (359 GWh per day based on absolute days).

EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which other EU countries have not yet implemented the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Currently, I understand that Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Spain have not yet fully implemented the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Food Retail Sector

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what policies his Department has put in place to promote and support small businesses in the food retail sector.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Defra provides a wide range of support for small businesses in the food sector, including food retail. For example, in 2004–05, the Department provided an additional £2 million to the Business Link Network to support projects designed to look at different approaches to increase the uptake of advice to small businesses in economically underperforming rural areas. The Department supports the retention of shops in small settlements. In line with this, the Government have assisted local services by extending mandatory rate relief at 50 per cent. to include sole village public houses, petrol stations and village food shops under the village shop scheme. Planning guidance has also been provided to local authorities to adopt a positive approach to planning proposals designed to improve the viability, accessibility or community value of existing services and facilities such as village shops. The Department also provides a range of trade development, consumer awareness and business competitiveness initiatives, as well as funding under various grant schemes, to regional and local food businesses, including assisting small producers to gain access to markets. The Department also currently devotes just under £4 million per year on schemes to encourages innovation in the food sector and pays particular attention to dissemination of research and development results to small and medium sized food and drink companies through, for example, a network of Regional Technology Transfer Centres.

Gas Supply

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2328W, on gas supply, whether the planned investment in liquid natural gas import projects includes a facility on Canvey Island; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Development of import infrastructure is a commercial matter for market participants. Calor Gas Ltd. submitted planning applications in January 2006 to Castle Point borough council for conversion of the existing LPG (liquid petroleum gas) terminal to a LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal on Canvey Island. Further details can be found at the website: http://www.canveylng.co.uk/.

Green Ministers

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken during the last 12 months in an official capacity in that role.

Malcolm Wicks: Following the general election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G)) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers.
	As the Minister of State for Energy, I was appointed as our departmental Sustainable Development Minister in June 2005. In July, I attended a breakfast seminar for Sustainable Development Ministers to discuss the sustainable development strategy and Ministers role in delivering it.

Manufacturing Jobs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 January 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about manufacturing jobs in Beverley and Holderness. I am replying in her absence. (39251)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.
	The attached table shows the information requested, relating to net change in manufacturing jobs in Beverley and Holderness, from 1997 to 2004; the latest year for which information is available.
	These estimates are from the Annual Business Inquiry and the Annual Employment Survey and, as with any sample survey, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		Change in employee jobs in manufacturing in Beverley and Holderness; 1997–2004
		
			  Number of employee jobs  Net change 
		
		
			 1997 5,200 — 
			 1998 4,900 -300 
			 1999 4,600 -300 
			 2000 4,500 -100 
			 2001 3,600 -900 
			 2002 4,100 +500 
			 2003 3,900 -200 
			 2004 3,600 -300 
		
	
	Source:
	Rescaled AES (1997) and ABI (1998–2004)

Miners Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners' compensation claims have been submitted for Bassetlaw constituents by (a) Raleys, (b) Moss, (c) AMS Law, (d) Wake Smith, (e) Beresfords, (f) BRM, (g) Graysons, (h) Thompsons, (i) Vendside, (j) Kidd Spoor Harper, (k) Robinson King and (l) Stanton Croft solicitors.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of claims submitted by the listed representatives for Bassetlaw constituents is as follows:
	
		
			 Solicitor COPD VWF Total 
		
		
			 Raleys 463 239 702 
			 Moss 461 515 976 
			 AMS 391 514 905 
			 Wake Smith 288 6 294 
			 Beresfords 1,387 735 2,122 
			 BRM 252 0 252 
			 Graysons 636 617 1,253 
			 Thompsons 138 30 168 
			 Vendside 9 1 10 
			 Kidd Spoor 334 164 498 
			 Robinson King 14 19 33 
			 Stanton Croft 0 2 2

Miners Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice he has issued to claimants on the practice of solicitors passing miners' compensation cheques directly to claims handlers.

Malcolm Wicks: No such advice has been issued. The Department is not aware that this is happening. The majority of all damages cheques raised by Capita are made payable to the claimant, but sent to his representative. The exception to this rule is where the claimant provides a form of authority specifically requesting his damages cheque is made payable to his representative.

Miners Compensation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the solicitors who have been deducting fees from claimants' compensation in respect of coal mining injuries notwithstanding that they are already remunerated by his Department under the British Coal Claims Handling Agreement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not have a list of solicitors who have been found to be double charging. The supervision of solicitors is a matter for the Law Society who I have written to.

Mining Industry (Nottinghamshire)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with which agencies dealing with mining industry issues, with an address, staff or telephone number base in Nottinghamshire his Department has had discussions in the last 12 months.

Malcolm Wicks: The only agencies based in Nottinghamshire the Department has had discussions with in the last 12 months are the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, Vendside and their legal advisors.

Nuclear Power

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2255W, on nuclear power, whether he has now received the strategy proposals from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for the decommissioning and clear up of its sites; and whether it remains his intention to consider and come to a decision on the proposed strategy by 31 March.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 26 January 2006
	Scottish Ministers and I have received the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's proposed strategy and will reach a decision on the document before 31 March.

Parliamentary Questions

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire on 16 November 2005, reference 30608, on Scottish Coal.

Malcolm Wicks: I answered my hon. Friend's question on 26 January 2006.

Parliamentary Questions

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar on 27 June 2005 reference 8552, on offshore staff registration.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I answered the hon. Member's question on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2174W.

Post Office

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans his Department has to secure the future of the post office network; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The DTI is backing the efforts of the management of Post Office Ltd. to turn the business around and create a network fit for the 21st century. We have invested over £2 billion in total since 1999 to help them to do so.
	We want to see a post office network that meets the needs of today and the future and not those of 20 or 30 years ago. The DTI are discussing with other Government Departments and Post Office Ltd. how we can best achieve this.

Post Office

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) rural and (b) urban sub-post offices there were in (i) England and (ii) the UK in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and the chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office Card Account

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many customers used the Post Office Card Account in each quarter from 2002 to 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL) and the chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office Card Account

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the economic impact on the Royal Mail of the loss of the Department of Work and Pensions' card account contract in 2010; what the value of the contract to the Post Office is in 2005–06; and what the estimated percentage income for (a) rural and (b) urban post offices arising from the card account contract is for 2005–06.

Barry Gardiner: The Post Office Card Account contract will generate revenues of at least £1 billion for Post Office Ltd. between 2003 and 2010. Discussions between Post Office Ltd. and Department of Work and Pensions on what accounts, other than the Post Office Card Account, will be available after 2010 are on-going. The value of the contract to Post Office Ltd. in 2005–06 depends on the numbers of customers using it and customers are able to use their Post Office Card Accounts at any post office branch whether rural or urban.

Post Office Card Account

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are using the Post Office Card Account; how many withdrawals of (a) pensions and (b) other benefits from Post Office Card Accounts there were in each of the last two years (i) in each region, (ii) in rural areas and (iii) in urban areas; and what the total value of such withdrawals was in (A) rural and (B) urban areas.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL) and the chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office Card Account

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department plans to take to minimise the impact of the loss of the Post Office Card Account contract on the Post Office network.

Barry Gardiner: We have always been clear that Government will fund the Post Office Card Account until 2010. Discussions between the Department of Work and Pensions and Post Office Ltd. are continuing about how they take things forward after 2010.

Regional Aid Guidelines

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department will begin its consultation on Article 87 (3) of the Regional Aid Guidelines; and which areas he expects will be included.

Alun Michael: The European Commission adopted the Regional Aid Guidelines on 21 December 2005. I will be consulting shortly on the best way for the UK's discretionary coverage to be applied.

Renewable Energy

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support his Department is providing in 2005–06 to research into the development of tidal power; and at what locations tidal power is being piloted.

Malcolm Wicks: For the financial year 2005–06 the DTI has provided funding to tidal power research totalling £2.56 million.
	At present one prototype tidal power research device is located in the sea, near Lynmouth in Devon and another is under construction in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. In the next year it is anticipated that at least two more prototypes will be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Stromness, Orkney and one prototype in the Humber Estuary at Hull.

Renewable Energy

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessments he has commissioned of the potential for exploiting micro-hydro power generation in Wales as part of the energy review.

Malcolm Wicks: No assessment has been commissioned on the potential for exploiting micro-hydro generation in Wales as part of the energy review. However, the DTI did commission a report looking into the costs and benefits of a range of micro generation technologies including micro-hydro. This report was published on 12 December 2005 and can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/consultations/pdfs/micro generation-est-report.pdf

Scottish Coal

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Scottish Coal received from the Coal Aid Scheme in each month of 2001; and whether any of this assistance was ring-fenced for redundancy assistance.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 January 2006.

Small Business Research Initiative

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the timescale is for making it mandatory for Government departments to implement the Small Business Research Initiative; how that will be enforced; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Michael: holding answer 26 January 2006
	The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) was launched in April 2001 as a cross-departmental Initiative. It is designed to stimulate and increase the demand for research and development (R and D) from high tech small firms and give them the opportunity to demonstrate that they have the ability to undertake and deliver high quality R and D to the public sector. The participating government departments agreed to a target of purchasing at least 2.5 per cent. of their extramural R and D from SMEs by 2004–05. The Research Councils are also participating in their own arrangements.
	The Chancellor mandated departments with extramural R and D budgets to take part in the Initiative in his Budget on 16 March 2005, at which time the implementation process commenced.
	Compliance with the mandatory requirement is monitored by the DTI's Small Business Service. The present focus is on making a success of the relatively newly introduced mandatory option. To this end, in order to improve access for small firms, departments will be required to use the Supplier Route to Government (CSRG29) website to offer Government R and D contract opportunities, when it is launched shortly.
	Until the 16 March Budget participation was voluntary. We aim to publish the voluntary phase performance figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 under SBRI as soon as possible.
	In future, we will publish performance figures on an annual basis. Apparent poor performance by individual departments will be investigated initially by the Small Business Service and Ministers will decide what action to take in order to bring about an improvement.

VAT (Pendle)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses (a) registered and (b) deregistered for VAT in Pendle in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: The number of businesses registering and de-registering for VAT in the Pendle constituency, are shown in the table for the period 1997 to 2004. Data for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		VAT registrations and de-registrations in Pendle constituency 1997 to 2004
		
			  Registrations De-registrations 
		
		
			 1997 170 195 
			 1998 180 185 
			 1999 185 170 
			 2000 225 170 
			 2001 215 185 
			 2002 190 160 
			 2003 230 205 
			 2004 205 190 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2004, Small Business Service, available from the Libraries of the House and also at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Telephone Preference Service

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, columns 291–92W, on the Telephone Preference Service, with which regulations the 925 complaints received were concerned.

Alun Michael: The 925 complaints referred to in the reply as having been considered by the Information Commissioner were complaints under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 regarding alleged breaches of Regulation 21, which relates to unsolicited direct marketing telephone calls.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2212, on waste electrical and electronic equipment, if he will provide an estimate of the range of unit costs involved in compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive; and what the Department's estimate is for compliance over the next three years.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested by the hon. Member can be found in the WEEE Directive partial impact assessment. This is available on the Department of Trade and Industry's website at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/WEEERIA_ July_2004.pdf

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations the Government plan to implement to transpose the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive 2002/96/EC into domestic law; and when he will publish such regulations.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 2 December 2005
	On 14 December 2005, I announced a review of proposals for implementing the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive in the UK. A new timetable for implementation will not be set until the review is concluded.

Wave Power

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding his Department allocated for (a) demonstration and (b) pre-commercial trials of wave power in the UK in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: During the five-year period between January 2000 and the present approximately £9.95 million has been committed to a total of 27 wave energy R&D projects concerning all stages of technology development from initial proof of concept to full scale demonstration. This is broken down by year as follows:
	
		£
		
			 Year in which project started Total funding endorsed 
		
		
			 2000 3,061,108 
			 2001 1,289,987 
			 2002 1,968,591 
			 2003 2,934,822 
			 2004 44,780 
			 2005 659,271 
		
	
	A further £50 million 'Marine Renewables Deployment Fund' has been allocated to support the continued development of wave and tidal-stream technologies of which £42 million is for direct support to early-stage pre-commercial trials.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2468W, on airspace (extraordinary renditions) what media report first caught (a) his and (b) his officials' attention; and on what date.

Kim Howells: Press reports and correspondence from Members of Parliament brought these allegations to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) attention in the summer of 2004. I cannot say with certainty precisely which press report first caught the attention of FCO ministers and officials.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2839W, on airspace (extraordinary rendition) in which category of (a) records and (b) data renditions should be listed.

Kim Howells: Cases of rendition would not be recorded in either such records or such data because the Ministry of Defence records neither the purpose of civil flights using military airfields nor transit passengers on civil flights using military airfields, except VIPs, and because neither national air traffic services data nor the British Airports Authority records include information about passengers or, beyond very broad category types, the purpose of flights.
	Information about requests for the use of UK airspace or airfields for the purposes of rendition would be held in the records of the policy branches which provided advice on those requests to Ministers in the Departments concerned.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US Administration about the obligations in relation to the rendition of terrorist suspects under (a) the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) the UN Convention on Torture.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Peter Law) on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 969W.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he has taken of the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights when (a) considering requests for the rendition of terrorist suspects through UK airspace and (b) making reference to the US Secretary of State's statement on the legality of such renditions.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written answer to the right hon. Member for North East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) on 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1643W.
	In her statement on 5 December 2005, the US Secretary of State said,
	in conducting such renditions, it is the policy of the United States . . . to comply with its laws and comply with its treaty obligations, including those under the Convention Against Torture".
	The United States is not bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, to which it is not a party.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 151–52, in what circumstances the Government would assist another state in a rendition operation.

Kim Howells: I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Peter Law) on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 969W.

Arms Trade Treaty

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will begin negotiations within the UN General Assembly for an arms trade treaty.

Kim Howells: We are working to build support for the launch of a UN based process to take forward the initiative for an international treaty on the arms trade. In 2005, support was secured from both the EU and the Commonwealth. We will continue to build further support during 2006 with the aim of securing the start of a formal process at the earliest opportunity.

Audible Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1430W, on audible fire alarms, what plans he has to extend audible fire alarm coverage in his Department's buildings.

Kim Howells: Although 91 per cent. of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK estate is covered by audible fire alarms featuring voice instructions via a public address system or similar, all of the FCO UK estate is covered by automated audible alarm systems. The FCO carries out regular assessments of its fire precautions and seeks to implement any recommendations arising from these assessments. These may include improvements to existing fire alarm systems.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the confiscation of Muslims' farmlands, including Waqf properties, in Arakan;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the building of Buddhist pagodas and monasteries on mosque land in Arakan state;
	(3)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the prohibition of repairs, renovation and construction of mosques in Arakan state;
	(4)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about movement restrictions imposed on the Rohingya people;
	(5)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the treatment of the Rohingya people.

Ian Pearson: The UK co-sponsored the latest resolution on human rights abuses in Burma at the UN General Assembly in December. This highlighted the ongoing systematic violation of the human rights including violations of the right to an adequate standard of living, discrimination and violations suffered by persons belonging to ethnic nationalities, women and children. This includes forced relocation; forced labour, including child labour; denial of freedom of assembly, association, expression and movement; wide disrespect for the rule of law, and the confiscation of arable land, crops, livestock and other possessions.
	We believe that some of the most serious of these human rights abuses are suffered by the Rohingya population in Northern Rakhine State, and in particular their freedom of religion.
	Embassy staff have raised the situation of the Rohingya with Government officials during regular visits to Northern Rakhine State. They also draw the attention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representatives in Burma to reports of abuses and encourage them to raise them in their contacts with the local authorities.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the detention of National League for Democracy Vice Chairman U Tin Oo.

Ian Pearson: The UK co-sponsored a highly critical Resolution on Burma at the UN General Assembly in December which called for the release of U Tin Oo.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the private banking sector in Burma.

Ian Pearson: The domestic banking crisis of February 2003, and subsequent restrictions imposed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) on banking transactions have led to problems in the banking sector, with a knock-on effect on the private sector economy. We welcome the SPDC's investigations into money-laundering which have led to the closure of certain banks, but believe that the reports of these investigations should be made public.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the administrative detention of (a) Kyaw Hsan, (b) Htwe Myint and (c) Thu Wai.

Ian Pearson: Htwe Myint and Thu Wai are no longer in detention. We are aware of three political prisoners called Kyaw Hsan; we have not raised any of these individual cases with the Burmese Government.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the continued imprisonment of the Buddhist nuns Ma Than Htay and Ma Thin Thin Oo.

Ian Pearson: We have made no representations to the Burmese regime about Ma Than Htay and Ma Thin Thin Oo.

Burma

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the effectiveness of EU sanctions on Burma, (b) the effects EU sanctions are having on (i) the Junta and (ii) ordinary Burmese citizens and (c) the role EU sanctions are playing to bring about the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ian Pearson: We consider that the best interests of the people of Burma continue to be served by a twin-track common position of targeted measures against members of the regime, and humanitarian support to the poorest and most vulnerable. The targeted measures are intended to exert pressure on the regime to enact democratic reforms. We would expect the release of Aung San Suu Kyi to be among the first steps in such a process.

Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the African Union on helping to expedite the return of the former Chadian leader Hissène Habre" to stand trial.

Ian Pearson: There have been no discussions between the Government and the African Union (AU) regarding Hissène Habre". The AU discussed the extradition request for Mr. Habre", submitted by the Belgian authorities to Senegal, at their summit of 16–24 January. The summit agreed to set up a committee of eminent African jurists to consider the case. The European Union has called on the AU to ensure that any decision is in line with the fight against impunity and that the crimes of which Mr. Habre" is accused will be judged by a court.

Civil Service (Complaints)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons responsibility for procedures for handling complaints against senior staff were transferred to the Civil Service Commission; what responsibilities (a) Ministers and (b) the Permanent Secretary retain in this regard; when these changes were decided upon; and by whom.

Kim Howells: Responsibility for procedures for handling complaints against senior staff has not been transferred to the Civil Service Commissioners. The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) complaints procedure encourages any staff member who has a complaint about a work issue to raise this with their line manager in the first instance. Staff also have access to the FCO's Grievance Procedure which is in line with best practice.
	If a member of staff believes they are being required to act in a way which is inconsistent with the Civil Service Code, there is a separate procedure to follow which could involve the Civil Service Commissioners. They should raise this in the first instance with their line manager, or one of the FCO's Nominated Officers or Human Resources. They may also approach the Director General for Corporate Affairs or the Permanent Under-Secretary. Staff can also contact the Civil Service Commissioners if they consider the response received is not a reasonable one or if they do not wish to use any internal channels.

Colombia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in Colombia.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds, West (John Battle), on 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1646W.
	The human rights situation in Colombia remains grave. While we acknowledge that there has been a reduction in recent years in some human rights abuses, there is still a lot that needs to be done to improve the situation. During the visit to the UK by Vice-President Santos in late November 2005, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised human rights issues. We have made it plain to the Government of Colombia that we are willing to work with them to help bring an improvement to the situation in the country, either as a bilateral partner or through our EU membership. We will continue to look for ways to bring about change, working with other partners such as the UN and civil society, to achieve this goal.
	In addition, a Colombian trade union delegation will be visiting the UK in February at FCO expense. FCO officials will meet the delegation to discuss human rights and hear their views on how the Government can best support civil society in Colombia to improve the human rights situation.

Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the capture of members of the Lord's Resistance Army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and if he will make a statement on the deaths of UN peacekeepers in the DRC.

Ian Pearson: My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, issued a statement on 24 January to express his sadness at the deaths of the eight Guatemalan peacekeepers. He has also offered the Guatemalan Government the UK's condolences. The UN Security Council has also issued a presidential statement condemning the killings.
	Foreign and Congolese armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) pose a daily threat to vulnerable civilians and to the delicate peace process. We fully support the United Nations' robust action to tackle the threat posed by all of these groups, and in particular the Lord's Resistance Army contingent, based in the DRC. The UK is also determined that there will be no impunity for war crimes or grave human rights abuses. We support the International Criminal Court's efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of such abuses.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the items valued at over £100 that have been reported as stolen from buildings occupied by his Department in the past 12 months.

Kim Howells: The following items have been recorded as lost or stolen from Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) buildings in the UK over the past 12 months:
	A digital camera was stolen from an FCO department in January 2005.
	An official telephone was reported lost by an FCO department in May 2005.
	An FCO team lost four official phones in June 2005.
	An official laptop was stolen from a hotel in London in June 2005.
	An official laptop was stolen from an FCO department in May 2005.
	Two official blackberries were stolen from FCO departments in May and June 2005.
	Various bottles of alcohol have been reported stolen by FCO departments over the 12-month period.
	Although records of items reported stolen or lost at overseas posts are not held centrally, the following thefts have been reported:
	£279 worth of drinks was stolen from the ambassador's residence in Algiers.
	A digital camera was stolen from the British embassy at Caracas in May 2005.
	To collate detailed information on thefts and losses at all of our overseas posts would incur disproportionate costs.

Diplomatic Missions (Congestion Charge)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries' diplomatic missions have (a) indicated to his Department that they will not pay the London congestion charge and (b) have failed to pay this charge since 1 September 2005.

Kim Howells: The Swiss embassy and the African Union Group have informed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that, as a matter of policy, they do not pay the congestion charge. The US embassy has also informed us that they ceased paying the charge in July 2005. No other missions have indicated to us that they have failed to pay since September 2005.
	Transport for London's records indicate outstanding Penalty Charge Notices incurred by individual members of diplomatic missions. These figures, up to 10 November 2005, were reported in my ministerial statement issued on 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 127WS. The following list, provided by Transport for London, updates these figures to 20 January this year.
	
		
			  Fines outstanding Amount in £ 
		
		
			 United Arab Emirates 5,003 469,100 
			 Angola 4,675 441,800 
			 Sudan 3,298 314,370 
			 Nigeria 2,262 216,070 
			 Tanzania 1,691 159,180 
			 Sierra Leone 1,550 147,040 
			 South Africa 1,492 140,440 
			 USA 1,224 107,150 
			 Zimbabwe 1,092 103,640 
			 Kenya 1,088 97,110

Diplomatic Service Appeals Board

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether recent changes in the mandate of the Diplomatic Service Appeals Board affect the right of departmental employees to appeal to the board in cases of complaints against senior management; what steps have been taken to ensure the independence of the board's secretariat in relation to the Department's human resources and management function; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Changes to the mandate of the Diplomatic Service Appeal Board (DSAB) took place in early 2003. Following a review of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Misconduct Procedure and in consultation with the Trade Unions, it was agreed that the DSAB would hear appeals against dismissal and not lesser penalties. This amendment brought the DSAB into line with the Civil Service Appeal Board and provided similar rights of appeal for Diplomatic Service and Home Civil Service staff within the FCO.
	The FCO's Grievance Procedure is available for any member of staff to use if they wish to pursue a formal complaint against a colleague. It is in line with statutory requirements and best practice.
	The role of Secretary to the Board was transferred in early 2005 within the Human Resources Directorate from the FCO's Conduct Adviser to the Employee Relations Adviser. The latter has no involvement in conduct or disciplinary matters.

Early Retirement

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many departmental staff have been required to take compulsory early retirement on structural grounds under the provisions of FCO Circular 754/01; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Circular 754/01, issued in December 2001, gave guidance to FCO employees at senior management level on their options if they were unable to pick up jobs at the relevant appointment board. This included their eligibility to leave the FCO on compulsory early retirement (CER) terms. In order to help achieve the FCO's efficiency targets, in particular the decision to reduce substantially the number of staff in the senior management structure, these provisions were extended to a wider range of senior officers in September 2004, using funding from the Treasury's Efficiency Challenge Fund. This exercise enabled some officers not eligible for CER (i.e. those aged under 50) to leave on compulsory early severance (CES) terms. The numbers taking CER or CES in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		Number
		
			  CER CES 
		
		
			 2001 8 — 
			 2002 7 — 
			 2003 11 — 
			 2004 15 2 
			 2005 23 7

Egypt

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) transparency and (b) legitimacy of the recent elections in Egypt.

Kim Howells: International election observers were not invited to the presidential or parliamentary elections in 2005, and as such it is difficult for us to comment on the transparency of legitimacy of the elections.
	We welcomed the holding of the first multi-candidate presidential elections which took place on 7 September, as an important step in the political reform process.
	The European Union issued a statement on 9 December 2005 about the parliamentary elections, noting concern about reports of widespread violence, but welcoming the decision to allow domestic groups to monitor the elections. This is available at:
	http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename= OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid= 1115146994806&a=KArticle&aid=1133773133659&date= 2005–12–09.

Embassies and Consulates

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the financial and other benefits of running each embassy and consulate.

Jack Straw: There is an inherent difficulty in ascribing a financial value to most foreign policy activity. The performance of the UK's Posts and Consulates are measured against each mission's annual objectives. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reports against its objectives and public service agreements (PSAs) as set out in the Department's Annual Report (Command paper 6533). The contribution of posts is reflected in the performance monitoring against the FCO's PSAs.

Eritrea/Ethiopia (Arms Embargo)

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to monitor the acquisition of weapons by (a) Eritrea and (b) Ethiopia since the lifting of the arms embargo of May 2001.

Kim Howells: As there is no arms embargo in force, there are no formal mechanisms for monitoring arms acquisitions by Ethiopia and Eritrea, but we monitor closely developments in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

EU Constitution

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the EU constitution initiative and the prospects for its revival (a) in whole and (b) in part.

Douglas Alexander: Following the French and Dutch 'no' votes in referendums on the EU constitutional treaty, EU Heads of State and Government agreed on the need for a period of reflection with a view to coming back to the matter during the first half of 2006. The Government will participate constructively in these discussions, but it would not be sensible to pre-empt now where the discussions might end up. In the coming months we need to focus on the EU's policy agenda, including follow-up to the issues discussed at Hampton Court.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 137W, on Iraq, what progress has been made with his inquiries with the United States Administration.

Kim Howells: holding answer14 November 2005
	I apologise for the delay in providing a substantive answer to the hon. Member's questions on this matter. This is because the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), to whom the Special Rapporteur's letter was addressed, was dissolved at the end of June 2004. An additional difficulty is that the incident to which it refers is alleged to have happened in February 2004, when there was a great deal of militia activity of this type in Iraq. We are working with the United States Government, via whom the letter was passed to the CPA, to ascertain whether they have any record of what happened to the letter and what action was taken on it. They are still researching the archives.
	Given the delay in providing a substantive reply, we will continue to pursue with the US authorities and, exceptionally, I will write to the hon. Member when we have more information, and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Israel

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from what date the UK Government have raised concerns about respect to international humanitarian law with the government of Israel; on how many occasions; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these representations on Israel's human rights record under international law.

Kim Howells: We have frequently made clear our concerns with the Israeli Government about respect for international humanitarian law over a number of years. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv last raised house demolitions, route of the barrier, establishment of new settlements and the expansion of existing settlements in Arab neighbourhoods on 19 December 2005. Israel's respect for international humanitarian law still remains a concern and we will continue to raise these matters.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from non-governmental organisations on the closure of the British embassy in Madagascar.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received representations from 13 non-governmental organisations about the closure of the British embassy in Madagascar. Most express concern about Madagascar's continued development and the conservation of its wildlife.

Somalila

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent visits have been made to (a) Somaliland and (b) Somalia by British officials; and what organisations they met whilst there.

Ian Pearson: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) visited Somaliland on numerous occasions during 2005 and had meetings with the Somaliland authorities, local non-governmental organisations, the UN agencies operating there and the Somaliland Scouts veterans' association. Most recently, a DFID official took part in a joint needs assessment as part of the UN Development Programme aid co-ordination from 16 to 18 January 2006.
	Officials from the FCO and DFID have visited Somalia and Puntland on a few occasions during 2005, as part of UN organised and protected missions, for meetings with the Transitional Federal Authorities in Jowhar, the National Aids Commission in Puntland and to assess conditions in the drought affected southern region. A DFID official working under the auspices of the World Food Programme assessed the humanitarian situation in Southern Somalia from 14 to 19 January 2006.

UK Ambassadors

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dates during the period from 2000 to 2004 the appointments board selected candidates to serve as ambassador in (a) Beijing, (b) Brasilia and (c) Mexico City.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office selection board for senior appointments considered candidates for the three posts as follows:
	In March 2000 it granted an extension to the then incumbent in Beijing. His successor was appointed following the board's meeting in January 2001.
	In November 2001, it granted an extension to the then incumbent in Brasilia. His successor was appointed following the board's meeting in March 2003.
	The board recommended a new ambassador in Mexico City for appointment at its meeting in July 2001.

UN Convention Against Corruption

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK's planned timetable is for ratification of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

Ian Pearson: The Government will ratify the United Nations Convention Against Corruption imminently. The instrument of ratification has been sent to New York to be deposited with the UN Secretary General, in accordance with article 67 of the Convention.

United States

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his reply of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 746W, on US inquiries, whether he has received a reply from the relevant United States Government officials.

Kim Howells: holding answer 24 January 2006
	I refer to the reply I gave the hon. Member today (UIN 28367).

Visitor Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition his Department uses of a family member in relation to visitor visas.

Kim Howells: A family visitor is defined, under the Immigration Appeals (Family Visitor) Regulations 2000, as a person who applies for entry clearance to come to the United Kingdom in order to visit his/her:
	husband, wife, civil partner, father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or first cousin;
	mother, father, brother or sister of his/her husband or wife/civil partner;
	husband or wife/civil partner of his/her son or daughter;
	his/her stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother or stepsister;
	a person with whom he/she has lived as a member of an unmarried couple for at least two of the three years before the day on which his/her application for entry clearance was made.

Yugoslavia

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the risks posed to United Kingdom security interests by (a) terrorist cells and (b) the former Yugoslav army material in the former Yugoslavia.

Douglas Alexander: Our risk assessments—including those in the former Yugoslavia—are informed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). JTAC analyses all intelligence relating to international terrorism, and produces threat assessments for Government Departments and agencies. It is Government policy not to comment on specific risk assessments and threat levels for security reasons: such information could be extremely useful to terrorists.
	The risks posed by former Yugoslav army material is predominantly from undiscovered caches, and as such is difficult to quantify. UK troops are trained to respond appropriately to abandoned material: when ordnance is found, appropriate measures are taken to destroy it safely. UK troops also participate in Operation Harvest carried out by the EU Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR, to discover and collect illegal ordnance. In a typical three month period, EUFOR collect some 500 small arms, 200,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,500 hand grenades and over 250kg of explosives. The UK is also currently contributing over £500,000 to destroy surplus stockpiles of small arms, light weaponry and ammunition in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This project includes an initial target of 250,000 small arms and an additional overall aim of 10,000 tonnes of ammunition.

Zimbabwe

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to requesting the Security Council to refer cases arising from the situation in Zimbabwe to the International Criminal Court.

Ian Pearson: The grave situation in Zimbabwe is a direct consequence of the policies pursued by the Mugabe regime. We have been active in securing international scrutiny for Zimbabwe's actions, including by the UN Security Council. The report of the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy, Anna Tibaijuka, on the recent clearance of housing in Zimbabwe noted that these human rights violations could come under the remit of the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, we judge that there is most unlikely to be agreement in the UN Security Council to refer Zimbabwe to the ICC at present and that failure to secure agreement would constitute a reverse.

Zimbabwe

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the effectiveness of EU sanctions on Zimbabwe and (b) the effects of EU sanctions on (i) President Mugabe's Government and (ii) ordinary Zimbabwean citizens in the last two years.

Ian Pearson: EU sanctions against leading figures in the Zimbabwe Government continue to place real and significant pressure on the regime. They have the support of the Zimbabwean political opposition and non-governmental organisations, and they send a firm message that the EU is concerned at human rights abuses, but as we have made clear on many previous occasions, the measures we have in place are targeted specifically against the regime. We do not believe it is right to pursue sanctions which would hurt innocent Zimbabweans already suffering from the misrule by the Mugabe regime.

NORTHERN IRELAND

0870 Telephone Numbers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Northern Ireland Departments used 0870 prefixed telephone numbers for use by the public during 2005.

Angela Smith: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency (DVTA) currently uses an 0870 prefixed telephone number for booking driving theory tests by text phone. In addition, an 0870 prefixed number was briefly used by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development during 2005 when the Stage One Appeals element of Single Farm Payments was being administered from Regus House in Clarendon Dock.

Broadband Access

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of homes in Northern Ireland had broadband access by December 2005.

Angela Smith: 100 per cent. of homes in Northern Ireland had access to broadband by December 2005 should they wish to take advantage of it. This is available at speeds of at least 512 kilobits per second. The most recent Government survey in October 2005 indicates that 29 per cent. of households have a broadband connection using either ADSL, cable, radio or satellite technology.

Child Abuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2093W, on child abuse, which further meetings have taken place involving the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and senior representatives of the Roman Catholic Church; what information was provided in relation to each diocese fully within Northern Ireland; what information was provided in relation to each diocese that straddles the border with the Republic of Ireland; when he expects to make recommendations; and whether he plans to initiate an independent public inquiry.

Shaun Woodward: Since 14 December 2005, officials from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and representatives of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNT) met with senior representatives of the Roman Catholic Church on 20 December 2005. DHSSPS and PSNI are scheduled to meet jointly with senior representatives of the Roman Catholic Church again on 6 February 2006. Since 14 December 2005, DHSSPS also met separately with PSNI on 17 January 2006 and PSNI met separately with legal representatives of the Roman Catholic Church on 17 January 2006.
	The Roman Catholic Church has undertaken to supply relevant information relating to allegations of child abuse against clergy to PSNI.
	On completion of current consultations, all possible options will be considered including the need for an independent public inquiry and recommendations will be made.

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and NDPBs, bought 5,900 cards for Christmas 2005 at a total cost of £6,120. The number actually used is not recorded but should not vary greatly from the number bought. Costs for postage are also not recorded as the cards are distributed by a mixture of Royal Mail and internal courier services.
	All expenditure on Christmas cards is made in accordance with normal departmental financial procedures and principles based on those set out in Government Accounting.

Community Restorative Justice

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 1984W, on community restorative justice, when he expects to write to the hon. Member for South Down with the findings of his Department's research.

David Hanson: I replied to the hon. Gentleman on 19 January 2006.

Community Safety Partnership

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on Community Safety Partnership strategies in Northern Ireland in 2005.

David Hanson: Strategies developed by Community Safety Partnerships were launched in June last year. £677,750 was made available to CSPs for the 2005–06 financial year to enable them to develop projects to reduce crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour in line with their local strategies.

Crosshill Quarry

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1369W, on Crosshill Quarry, what the terms of reference were for the Health and Safety Executive's investigation into the dismantling of railway carriages in Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin; and what the findings were of that investigation.

Angela Smith: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland investigated the dismantling of disused railway carriages at Crosshill Quarry as a result of a complaint made by a representative from the Crumlin Against Asbestos action group that these carriages had been crushed.
	The investigation revealed that the carriages had been cut by hydraulic shears into sections to facilitate movement and there was no evidence to indicate that there was any contravention of health and safety at work legislation on the part of the site operators. It was concluded that the movement of these carriages did not pose a health risk to either the operators concerned or members of the public in the vicinity of the quarry.

Dentistry (Special Needs Treatment)

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the waiting lists for special needs treatment at the School of Dentistry, Royal Victoria hospital, Belfast are as a result of a shortage of (a) dental surgeons, (b) anaesthetists and (c) other reasons.

Shaun Woodward: The current waiting list for learning disabled patients requiring dental treatment under general anaesthesia is largely as a result of unavailability of anaesthetists and suitable facilities to treat this group of patients.

Departmental Finance

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures have been taken by the Northern Ireland Office to implement the 2004 spending review settlement.

Shaun Woodward: Following the 2004 spending review settlement, the NIO undertook a detailed consultation exercise across its directorates and allocated funding accordingly. Extensive work has also been undertaken to ensure that the Department achieves the efficiency targets set out in the settlement.

Disability Living Allowance

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were in receipt of disability living allowance in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The figures requested are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Number of people 
		
		
			 2001 141,451 
			 2002 146,979 
			 2003 153,791 
			 2004 162,529 
			 2005 167,369

Energy Efficiency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homeowners in Northern Ireland received grant assistance to install (a) energy efficiency measures and (b) solar panels in 2005.

David Hanson: (a) In 2005 just over 10,000 households received assistance to install energy efficiency measures through the Warm Homes Scheme, the Replacement and Renovation Grants Schemes and the Disabled Facilities Grant Scheme.
	(b) In 2005 approximately 55 households received grant assistance to install solar thermal panels and 15 for the installation of solar photovoltaic panels.

Fishing Fleet

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to assist the new build and modernisation of the Northern Ireland fishing fleet; and how much has been allocated to this in 2006–07.

Angela Smith: In 2006–07 the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to allocate around £l million towards safety and quality improvements for the Northern Ireland fleet. There is no provision for assistance to new build in the fleet.
	In addition, the South Down Fishing Taskforce has allocated £125,000 in 2006–07 to enable the Northern Ireland fleet to upgrade and modernise accommodation on-board fishing vessels.

Guns

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many guns were reported missing in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997 by (a) the armed forces, (b) the police and (c) members of the public with licensed weapons, broken down by the type of weapon.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Constable is unable to provide an answer in the form requested as it would involve a manual trawl of files which could be carried out only at disproportionate cost. The total number of firearms reported missing in Northern Ireland since 1997 is 1,228. 22 by the police and 1,206 by civilians (including five reported missing by members of the Ulster Defence Regiment/Royal Irish Regiment who held personal protection weapons on a firearms certificate issued by the Chief Constable). The yearly totals are shown in Table A. The breakdown of the total by firearm type is shown in Table B. A yearly breakdown of the firearm type figures is not available. The MOD is unable to supply information about the armed forces at present and I will write to the hon. Member when the information becomes available.
	
		Table A
		
			  Number of firearms 
		
		
			 1997 128 
			 1998 165 
			 1999 132 
			 2000 117 
			 2001 151 
			 2002 166 
			 2003 150 
			 2004 108 
			 2005 108 
			 2006 3 
			 Total 1,228 
		
	
	
		Table B
		
			 Firearms type Number of firearms 
		
		
			 Shotguns 768 
			 Air Rifles 171 
			 Rifles 123 
			 Pistols 90 
			 Revolvers 55 
			 Humane Killers 11 
			 Sub Machine Guns 3 
			 Signalling Device 1 
			 Starting Pistol 1 
			 Air Pistols 5

Healthier Lifestyles

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote a healthier lifestyle among people aged 40 and over in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Investing for Health Strategy provides a framework within which the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has developed population strategies and programmes on issues such as, physical activity, smoking and food and nutrition, to promote healthier lifestyles, including to those aged 40 and over.
	Public information campaigns developed by the Health Promotion Agency on smoking have been targeted at adult smokers aged 30+ and the Get a Life—Get Active" campaign has aimed, in particular, to encourage 40 to 60-year-olds to undertake regular physical activity. The Eating Well in Winter" grants programme and A Guide to Healthier Eating for the over 60s" were both recently launched by the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland to encourage and support older people to eat more healthily.

Healthier Lifestyles

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote a healthier lifestyle among children in Northern Ireland whom health professionals consider overweight.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2005–08 report includes a cross-departmental target to stop the increase in levels of obesity in children by 2010. In August 2004, a taskforce was established under the aegis of the Ministerial Group on Public Health to examine options for tackling overweight and obesity in children and young people and to make recommendations on how to stop the rise in levels of obesity in children. Recommendations will be published in February 2006 and will inform revised strategies and action plans on food and nutrition and physical activity.
	The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is working with other Departments and agencies, including local health and social services boards and trusts, to deliver a range of initiatives to support children in schools and nurseries to adopt healthier lifestyles. These include programmes which aim to promote healthy eating and physical activity as well as programmes that offer direct support to parents and children. Later this year the Health Promotion Agency will launch a new public information campaign, targeted at the parents of young children, to encourage participation in regular physical activity.

Incapacity Benefit

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incapacity benefit recipients there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last eight years.

David Hanson: The figures requested are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Number of people 
		
		
			 1998 74,870 
			 1999 71,053 
			 2000 70,176 
			 2001 71,333 
			 2002 71,252 
			 2003 72,208 
			 2004 70,608 
			 2005 69,682

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Review

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timescale is for the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Review; what the estimated cost is; and how much has been spent to date.

Shaun Woodward: I understand that the Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability aims to complete its task by summer 2006. The estimated cost of the review is around £1.2 million. To date, just over £1 million has been spent.

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Review

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Review sub-groups which have completed reports; and when he expects the remainder to complete reports.

Shaun Woodward: To date, the review has published two reports: from its Adult Mental Health Services Working Committee, and from its Learning Disability Working Committee. I understand that the remaining reports should be completed by summer 2006.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) each English region and (2) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.

Peter Hain: Information from Department records indicate that number of personal computers, laptops, servers, printers and scanners are as shown in the following table:
	
		Number
		
			  Personal computers Laptops Servers Printers Scanners 
			  NI London NI London NI London NI London NI London 
		
		
			 2003–04   
			 NIO core 650 120 36 — 105 12 278 12 2 0 
			 Executive agencies(27) 900 — 36 — 50 — 316 — 2 0 
			
			 2004–05   
			 NIO core 678 132 57 — 75 7 318 45 29 3 
			 Executive agencies(27) 987 0 60 0 46 0 334 0 20 0 
		
	
	(27) The Northern Ireland Office's four Executive agencies are the Compensation Agency for Northern Ireland, Forensic Science for Northern Ireland, The Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Youth Justice Agency. It is not possible to isolate the number of pieces of equipment each agency owned except at disproportionate cost.
	Photocopiers are leased and not owned. Information on small items such as fax machines is not held centrally and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.
	Information in respect of each non-departmental public body could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Police

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the Garda Siochana have been (a) seconded and (b) transferred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each year since the implementation of the Patten report.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised by the PSNI that since the signing of relevant protocols, one member of the Garda Siochana has taken part in a mutual personnel exchange (without policing powers) with the PSNI.

Prisons (Drug Finds)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug finds there have been in Northern Ireland's prisons in each of the last three years; and of what quantities.

Shaun Woodward: The following table details all drugs found within Northern Ireland prisons in the last three years (January 2003 to December 2005) and the quantities and type of each substance:
	
		
			  Drug finds 
			 Drug 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Cannabis 921g 779g 775g 
			 Amphetamines 2 tablets, 1 wrap plus 0.7g 65 tablets plus 19.9g powder 5 tablets 
			 Syringes 16 10 7 
			 Steroid liquid 35 7 6 
			 Steroid Tablets 1,911 672.5 244 
			 Ecstasy 40 90 16 
			 Heroin 2.6g 0 32.6 
			 Prescription Tablets 985 366 460.5 
			 Diazepam 454 312.5 447 
			 Needles 17 34 10 
			 Cocaine 0.3g 10 1g 
			 Valium 6 9 1 
			 Tamazepam 74 122 59.5 
			 Unknown Tablets 476 plus 4.4g 488 355.5 
			 Barbiturates 7g 0 29g 
			 LSD 0 2 0 
			 Opium based tablets 0 0 2 
			 Viagra 0 21 0 
			 Total drug finds 244 344 226

Public Body Vacancies

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance Northern Ireland departments give to public bodies on the handling of senior post vacancies and recruitment pending implementation of the Review of Public Administration; and whether (a) Equality Commission and (b) legal advice is sought on such guidance.

Angela Smith: The standard guidance issued to the Northern Ireland departments is detailed in the Cabinet Office publication 'non-departmental public bodies: A Guide for Departments.' That guidance states:
	'A non-departmental public body's ability to employ and manage staff is an important element of its relative independence from Ministers. While the sponsor department must be careful not to detract from a non-departmental public body's independence, it does have a responsibility to assist a new non-departmental public body in making a sound start in its management policies. The sponsor department should encourage non-departmental public bodies to adopt Human Resource management practices which meet at least the minimum standards expected of public service employers.'
	The Department of Finance and Personnel also issued 'Guidance on Codes of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies' in March 1997. That stated that departments should ensure that executive non-departmental public bodies adopt new or revised codes based on the new guidance.
	The guidance states:
	'The board should ensure that the body's rules for the recruitment and management of staff provide for appointment and advancement on merit on the basis of equal opportunity for all applicants and staff. In filling senior staff appointments, the board should satisfy itself that an adequate field of qualified candidates is considered, and should always consider the merits of full and open competition. In recruiting external candidates, this should normally be used'.
	No guidance has been issued which makes particular reference to the implementation of the Review of Public Administration and no further legal advice or advice from the Equality Commission has been sought.

Schools (Employment of Offenders)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether anyone with a conviction for a sexual offence is working in a school in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many teachers in Northern Ireland have (a) convictions, including spent convictions, and (b) police cautions; how many such convictions and cautions were in respect of sexual offences; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: On 13 January I asked the employing authorities (that is the Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, and schools which employ their staff directly) to check their records and inform me whether there is any person currently in employment in any capacity in a grant-aided school who is required to notify their details to the Police Service as a sex offender, or who has a history of sex offending. They have confirmed that that there are three persons, none of them teaching staff, with a conviction for a sexual offence who are currently working in schools; none of these persons is on a sex offenders register as all the offences were committed over 15 years ago. In one case the offence was against a minor and involved a girl who was just under age; in the other two cases the offences were against adult females. In each case the employing authority knew of the conviction through the pre-employment check and took professional advice. The advice was, in each case, that the person was not a risk to children, and so employment was offered. The employing authorities remain satisfied that these persons do not pose a risk to children.
	I have also asked for similar information from Independent schools and await their replies.
	Vetting against all sources is done by a single agency, the PSNI Criminal Records Office (CRO). The CRO checks individuals who apply to work with children, either as employees or those engaged as volunteers, against both List 99 and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's list of people who are disqualified from working with children, as well as carrying out a full criminal background check. Employers are informed of all convictions, spent and unspent, including cautions and bind-over orders, no matter when the offence was committed, and non-conviction information which CRO considers to be reliable. These are all made available to the employing authority and are taken into account in the decision on whether to offer employment. The CRO has also confirmed, however, that their pre-employment checks on persons applying to work in schools have not identified any individual on a sex offenders register since the introduction of registration in 1997.
	I am unable to confirm the number of teachers who have other types of offences (and this would include, for example, driving offences) as employers' records will show only those who had these convictions at the point at which they were vetted.

Schools (Employment of Offenders)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people (a) convicted of and (b) having received a caution regarding sexual involvement with children have been employed in schools in Northern Ireland over the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: On 13 January I asked the employing authorities (that is the Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, and schools which employ their staff directly) to check their records and inform me whether there is any person currently in employment in any capacity in a grant-aided school who is required to notify their details to the Police Service as a sex offender, or who has a history of sex offending. They have confirmed that that there are three persons, none of them teaching staff, with a conviction for a sexual offence who are currently working in schools; none of these persons is on a sex offenders register as all the offences were committed over 15 years ago. In one case the offence was against a minor and involved a girl who was just under age; in the other two cases the offence was against an adult female. In each case the employing authority knew of the conviction through the pre-employment check and took professional advice. The advice was, in each case, that the person was not a risk to children, and so employment was offered. The employing authorities remain satisfied that these persons do not pose a risk to children.
	I have also asked for similar information from independent schools and await their replies.
	In Northern Ireland vetting against all sources is done by a single agency, the PSNI Criminal Records Office (CRO). The CRO checks individuals who apply to work with children, either as employees or those engaged as volunteers, against both List 99 and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's list of people who are disqualified from working with children, as well as carrying out a full criminal background check. Employers are informed of all convictions, including cautions and bind-over orders, no matter when the offence was committed, and non-conviction information which CRO considers to be reliable. The CRO has also confirmed that their pre-employment checks on persons applying to work in schools have not identified any individual on a sex offenders register since the introduction of registration in 1997.

Schools (Employment of Offenders)

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) teachers and (b) auxiliary staff who are on the Sex Offenders Register are employed in schools in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The employing authorities for teaching and non-teaching staff in the grant-aided sector have confirmed to me that there is no-one currently in employment in any capacity in a grant-aided school who is required to notify their details to the Police Service under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
	My Department has also written to schools in the independent sector asking for confirmation of their position as regards the employment of persons who are registered sex offenders or who have a history of sex offending.
	I will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information.

Sexual Health

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young people in Northern Ireland aged (a) 16, (b) 15, (c) 14, (d) 13 and (e) under 13 years have attended Brook Advisory Clinic for contraceptive treatment in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of young people in Northern Ireland attending the Brook Advisory Clinic is not collected centrally.

Sexual Offences Review

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the publication date for the Sexual Offences Review consultation document; and what is the time scale for the review.

David Hanson: I have asked officials to resume work on a review of the law on sexual offences, with the aim of publishing a paper for consultation before Easter. Although it is too early to be specific, I would like to see legislation in place early next year for a new body of law on sexual offences.

Smoking Ban

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely improvement in the health of adults in Northern Ireland within two years of the smoking ban in public places being introduced.

Shaun Woodward: The introduction of smoke-free legislation will protect employees and the public in general from the increased health risks associated with exposure to second-hand smoke such as lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, asthma and other circulatory and respiratory diseases. Experience elsewhere suggests that comprehensive controls also help reduce smoking prevalence.
	The draft Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order will be issued for public consultation in February and will be accompanied by a draft Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will address both the health and economic implications of tobacco control measures.

Social Security

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total administration costs associated with the delivery of social security benefits in Northern Ireland were in 2004–05; how many staff are employed in social security administration in Northern Ireland; and what administrative costs per benefit recipient were in 2004–05.

David Hanson: Information on the cost of administrating social security benefits and the number of staff involved is available from the Social Security Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05. It was published on 31 October 2005 and a copy placed in the Library.
	Information on the costs per benefit recipient of administration in 2004–05 is not available.

Special Advisers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list (a) the special advisers in his Department, (b) their specific areas of expertise and (c) the total cost of employing them in the latest year for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to him on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 36W.

Strabane Fire Station

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many part-time fire-fighters in Strabane Fire Station applied to become full-time fire-fighters in each of the last five years; and how many of those applications were successful.

Shaun Woodward: In the last five years there have been three full-time recruitment exercises carried out within the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. The number of retained (i.e. part-time) fire-fighters from the Strabane Fire Station who applied for full-time fire-fighter posts was as follows:
	
		
			 Date of recruitment exercise Applied 
		
		
			 January 2001 3 
			 September 2003 7 
			 November 2005 5 
		
	
	In order to comply with current equality legislation, applicants from the Retained Service are required to undergo exactly the same selection process for posts within the full-time fire-fighting service as all other candidates. None of these applicants was successful in that process.

Transport Links

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans are in place to improve transport links (a) between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and (b) within Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Air and sea links between NI and GB are market driven and are generally satisfactory. Consequently, the only area Government is currently seeking to improve, through the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland administration, is the Ballycastle/Campbeltown ferry service.
	The Regional Transportation Strategy 2002–12 for Northern Ireland is the basis upon which all land based transportation initiatives are now taken forward. This is supported by three transport plans, which contain the detailed programmes of major schemes, and transport initiatives that the Department for Regional Development wants to carry out to achieve the Northern Ireland's transportation objectives. Transport plans for the Belfast Metropolitan Area and the Regional Strategic Transport Network were published last year and are available from the Commons Library. The third sub regional" transport plan that covers the other urban areas and the rural area not covered by the previous two plans will be published later this year.

Treatment Provision

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are in place for patients in Northern Ireland to be treated in Scotland to ensure speedier treatment and surgery.

Shaun Woodward: By March this year no-one should be waiting more than 12 months for inpatient or day case treatment; six months for cardiac or cataract surgery; and nine months for major joint replacement surgery.
	When a trust is unable to treat a patient within the agreed time, arrangements are in place to transfer patients to another provider for treatment. This may be at a hospital within Northern Ireland, elsewhere in the United Kingdom, including Scotland, or further afield if necessary.

TREASURY

Census

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accuracy of census figures for (a) houses in multiple occupation and (b) caravan parks; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 30 January 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what assessment has been made of the accuracy of census figures for (a) houses of multiple occupation and (b) caravan parks. I am replying in her absence. (45668)
	An assessment of the accuracy of Census figures for (a) houses of multiple occupation and (b) caravan parks was not undertaken as part of the Census 2001 Quality Report for England and Wales.
	However houses in multiple occupation would be included in the accommodation type 'part of a converted or shared house' and caravan parks in 'a caravan or other mobile or temporary structure' Page 86 of the Census Quality Report refers to the accuracy of responses to the question on accommodation type. The extent of imputation (the proportion of people or households added to the Census count to allow for non-response, so as to provide complete coverage of the population) of each accommodation type by local authority can be found at www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/imputation_rates_by_variable.asp
	A copy of the quality report is available in the House of Commons Library, alternatively it can be found on-line at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14212

Central Government (Administration Costs)

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs of central Government administration have been in each year since 1998.

Des Browne: Outturn against the administration costs limits of central Government Departments is published each year at tables 4 and 5 of the Public Expenditure Outturn White (PEOWP) Paper. The 2004–05 edition of PEOWP (Cm 6639) has been placed in the Library along will all previous editions.

Charitable Status (Northern Ireland)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many charitable institutions in Northern Ireland have had their charitable status withdrawn in the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not maintain records of the number of charities in Northern Ireland who have had their charitable status withdrawn.

Employment (Denbighshire)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) private sector jobs in (i) agriculture, (ii) manufacturing and (iii) the service sector and (b) public sector jobs there were in (A) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (B) Denbighshire in each of the last 20 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 30 January 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about private and public sector employment. I am replying in her absence. (46078)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for the United Kingdom of public sector employment from a quarterly survey of public sector organisations. However, estimates at local area level are not available.
	Information at local area level is available from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) of individual people in households. However, in this source the categorisation of employment in the public or private sector depends upon the responses from the individuals interviewed. As reported by ONS in October 2005 in the publication Public Sector Employment Trends", some individuals tend to misreport private sector employment as being in the public sector hence leading to overestimates of the share of public sector employment.
	With this reservation about the data quality, Table 1 shows the number of persons in private sector employment, by the specified splits, and for the public sector for people resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority as shown by the annual local area LFS for the 12 month periods ending February 1999 to February 2004. Table 2 shows similar data for persons resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency. Data for earlier years are not available.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	
		Table 1: Persons in employment resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency by private-public sector split(28) -- Thousand
		
			  Private Sector 
			 12 months ending Agriculture Manufacturing Services Other industries(29) Public Sector Total 
		
		
			 February 1999 1 3 10 5 6 25 
			 February 2000 1 4 10 4 8 27 
			 February 2001 1 3 13 4 8 29 
			 February 2002 1 4 13 3 8 28 
			 February 2003 — 4 12 3 9 27 
			 February 2004 — 3 13 3 9 29 
		
	
	(28) Public/private sector split based on responses from individuals responding to the annual local area Labour Force Survey—generally overestimate public sector employment.
	(29) Other industries are Agriculture, Fishing, Energy and Water and Construction.
	Note:
	Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.
	
		Table 2: Persons in employment resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority by private-public sector split(30) -- Thousand
		
			  Private Sector 
			 12 months ending Agriculture Manufacturing Services Other industries(31) Public Sector Total 
		
		
			 February 1999 3 4 15 8 8 38 
			 February 2000 3 6 13 5 10 37 
			 February 2001 4 6 16 5 12 43 
			 February 2002 2 7 18 4 11 41 
			 February 2003 1 6 18 4 12 40 
			 February 2004 1 5 19 5 13 42 
		
	
	(30) Public/private sector split based on responses from individuals responding to the annual local area Labour Force Survey generally overestimate public sector employment.
	(31) Other industries are Agriculture, Fishing, Energy and Water and Construction.
	Note:
	Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.

Film Industry

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 1495W, on the film industry, if he will give details of the specific tax reliefs available for film production in each year since 1997; and what the cost of those reliefs was in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: Details of the specific tax reliefs for film production can be found in Chapter 3 of the Treasury consultation document Reform of film tax incentives: Promoting the sustainable production of culturally British films" (July 2005).
	Regarding the costs of these reliefs, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 13 December 2005, Official Report, column 1823W.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints have been received by the Financial Ombudsman Service in relation to the sale of (a) critical illness insurance, (b) payment protection insurance, (c) term life assurance and (d) income protection in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) assumed its powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 on 1 December 2001, and record data for cases received by product type. The following table shows the number of cases received in the requested product categories by the FOS in each full financial year since year ending 31 March 2001.
	
		Numbers of new cases received by product type
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Loan protection 513 803 802 833 
			 Income protection 523 726 820 980 
			 Term assurance 376 468 519 504 
			 Critical illness 408 492 582 717

Financial Ombudsman Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the complaints referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the last five years related to the suitability of the product purchased; and how many of those complaints were upheld in each year.

John Healey: The Financial Ombudsman Service records complaint numbers in relation to product type. Unfortunately, as they do not record data (or sub-categorise) by complaint type, figures for complaints received about the suitability of products purchased are not available.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints have been referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last five years; and how many were upheld in each year.

John Healey: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) assumed its powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 on 1 December 2001.
	The following table shows the number of new inquiries and investigated cases that the Financial Ombudsman Service has received for each year since 31 March 2001. The table shows the percentage breakdown of cases upheld (either wholly or in part) in the consumers favour, for each year that data is available for.
	
		Total number of new inquiries and new cases converted.
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Number of front line inquiries 388,239 462,340 548,338 614,148 
			 Number of cases 43,330 62,170 97,901 110,963 
			 Percentage of cases upheld (either wholly or in part) n/a 34 32 40 
		
	
	n/a=not available.

Fuel Duty

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the level of fuel duty for a liquid fuel produced from (a) biomass and (b) waste cooking oil that is (i) diesel quality and (ii) not diesel quality.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2265W.

General Insurance Regulations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects on consumers of the general insurance regulations introduced in 2005;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the overall regulatory cost burden on insurance intermediaries following the introduction of general insurance regulation in January 2005.

John Healey: The FSA commenced regulation of the selling of general insurance in January 2005. The FSA will begin a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. This will include seeking feedback from firms and consumer research.

General Insurance Regulations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) scope and (b) timescale is of the forthcoming Financial Services Authority's effectiveness review of general insurance regulation.

John Healey: The FSA will begin a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. Findings are expected to be available towards the end of 2006.
	The review will focus on how far the FSA conduct of business requirements for general insurance firms are delivering the intended outcomes for consumers.

Pre-Budget Report

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency of measures in his pre-Budget report.

John Healey: The pre-Budget report set out a range of measures to build a strong economy and a fair society for all constituencies in the UK, including Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. The Government set out the impact of the PBR on the North East in 2005 pre-Budget report: 'What the Pre-Budget Report means for the North East'. This is available on the HM Treasury website.

Tax Credit

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest estimate is of the amount of tax credit payments which were fraudulently obtained via the HM Revenue and Customs website; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 23 January
	HMRC are currently undertaking a programme of work on finalised 2003–04 awards—the first year of working tax credit and child tax credit—to provide more information on the level of claimant error and fraud. This is due to be completed in spring 2006.
	HMRC use a number of sophisticated tools to help detect fraudulent claims made for tax credits. Whenever possible this is aimed at stopping fraudulent claims from being paid but they also monitor payments to detect known traits of organised fraud.
	I also refer the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) to the answer I gave on 18 January, Official Report, column 1357.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on tax credit fraud using Network Rail employees' identities.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the statement I made on 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1357W in response to his earlier question.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many awards of tax credits have been stopped because of suspicion of fraud in each month since 2003–04.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 557–58W. Figures by month could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Credit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants appealed (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully to (i) the Adjudicator, (ii) the parliamentary ombudsman and (iii) by judicial review an unsuccessful appeal through the HM Revenue and Customs complaints procedure against a decision to change the amount paid in each year for which figures are available, broken down by (A) type of tax credit and (B) region.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) tax credits appeals procedure is explained in its leaflet WTC/AP How to appeal against a tax credits decision or award". The Department's complaints procedure is explained in its Code of Practice 1 Putting things right—How to complain". The Adjudicator's leaflet AO1 also explains that her office does not look at matters which can be considered on appeal or complaints that have been, or are being, investigated by the ombudsman.
	(i) The Adjudicator cannot become involved in appeals against tax credits decisions. For the number of tax credits referrals to the Adjudicator's Office, I refer the hon. Member to the Adjudicator's Office Annual Report for 2005.
	(ii) The parliamentary ombudsman, Ann Abraham, is an independent office-holder. She operates under the provisions of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (as amended). The parliamentary ombudsman publishes information about the number of investigate complaints she has received in her annual report to Parliament. Her 2004–05 Annual Report, HC 348, was published on 20 July.
	(iii) An appeal is a separate matter to a judicial review as described in HMRC guidance available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/immanual/im5201.htm
	Three tax credit claimants have issued proceedings in the Administrative Court. All had been in, but had not exhausted, HMRC's complaints process before issuing proceedings. One was settled by consent, one was withdrawn and one was settled in part and the remainder withdrawn.

Travel Insurance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received about age discrimination in the pricing of travel insurance by UK companies; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: HM Treasury has received a small number of representations from organisations working on behalf of older people. Officials have also discussed this issue with the Association of British Insurers.
	The Government does not prescribe the terms and conditions that insurance companies may set when offering insurance. It does not intervene in the decisions of insurance companies when determining whether or not to offer cover. As a rule, insurers use their claims experience and other industry-wide statistics to set the terms on which they offer insurance cover.

Unemployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of (a) unemployment, (b) long-term unemployment, (c) youth unemployment and (d) economic inactivity was in (i) Denbighshire and (ii) Vale of Clwyd constituency in each of the last 20 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 30 January 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment and economic inactivity. I am replying in her absence. (46069)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment and economic inactivity for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 shows rates and levels for all persons unemployed and youth (aged 16 to 24) unemployed resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority from the annual local area LFS for each 12 months ending February 1995 to February 2004. Table 2 shows similar data for persons resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency. Sample numbers are insufficient to provide estimates of long-term unemployment.
	Table 3 shows the rates and levels of economically inactive persons of working age resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority and resident in the Vale of Clwyd constituency from the annual local area LFS for each 12 months ending February 1995 to February 2004.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 4 shows the annual average number of ISA claimants, and as a proportion of the resident working age population, those claiming for over 12 months and claimants aged 18 to 24, resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority since 1986. Table 5 shows similar data for claimants resident in the Vale of Clwyd constituency since 1996. Proportions for the 18 to 24 age group are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed persons resident in Denbighshire Unitary Authority
		
			  All (16+) Youth (aged 16 to 24) 
			 12 months ending Level (thousand) Rate(32) (percentage) Level (thousand) Rate(32) (percentage) 
		
		
			 February 1995 4 11 1 22 
			 February 1996 5 12 1 28 
			 February 1997 2 6 1 19 
			 February 1998 2 5 1 14 
			 February 1999 2 6 (33)— (33)— 
			 February 2000 4 9 2 25 
			 February 2001 3 6 1 15 
			 February 2002 2 4 1 13 
			 February 2003 2 4 1 12 
			 February 2004 2 4 1 10 
		
	
	(32) Percentage of the economically active resident population.
	(33) Estimate not available, sample size less than three could be disclosive.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.
	
		Table 2: Unemployed persons resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency
		
			  All (16+) Youth (aged 16 to 24) 
			 12 months ending Level (thousand) Rate(34) (percentage) Level (thousand) Rate(34) (percentage) 
		
		
			 February 1995 3 10 1 16 
			 February 1996 4 15 1 40 
			 February 1997 2 8 1 30 
			 February 1998 2 7 1 23 
			 February 1999 2 8 (35)— (35)— 
			 February 2000 3 9 1 23 
			 February 2001 2 6 (35)— (35)— 
			 February 2002 1 5 1 16 
			 February 2003 1 5 1 14 
			 February 2004 1 4 1 11 
		
	
	(34) Percentage of the economically active resident population.
	(35) Estimate not available, sample size less than three could be disclosive.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.
	
		Table 3: Economically inactive persons of working age resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority and resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency
		
			  Denbighshire UA Vale of Clwyd PC 
			 12 months ending Level (thousand) Rate (percentage) Level (thousand) Rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 February 1995 11 23 10 25 
			 February 1996 10 22 8 21 
			 February 1997 11 24 9 28 
			 February 1998 12 23 10 29 
			 February 1999 13 26 12 31 
			 February 2000 14 26 11 28 
			 February 2001 13 23 11 27 
			 February 2002 12 23 9 25 
			 February 2003 13 25 10 27 
			 February 2004 12 22 9 24 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.
	
		Table 4: JSA claimants resident in the Denbighshire Unitary Authority
		
			  All Long-term (claiming over 12 months)(36) Youth (aged 18 to 24)(36) 
			 Annual averages Level Proportion(37) (percentage) Level Proportion(37) (percentage) Level Proportion(37) (percentage) 
		
		
			 1986 5,359 n/a 1,675 n/a 1,685 n/a 
			 1987 4,832 n/a 1,480 n/a 1,450 n/a 
			 1988 3,974 n/a 1,050 n/a 1,195 n/a 
			 1989 2,868 n/a 595 n/a 900 n/a 
			 1990 2,347 n/a 400 n/a 765 n/a 
			 1991 2,971 n/a 535 n/a 1,000 n/a 
			 1992 3,413 7 820 2 1,155 16 
			 1993 3,578 7 1,020 2 1,170 16 
			 1994 3,404 7 1,030 2 1,095 15 
			 1995 3,210 6 955 2 1,035 16 
			 1996 3,217 6 975 2 975 15 
			 1997 2,304 4 725 1 680 11 
			 1998 1,854 4 395 1 535 9 
			 1999 1,847 4 315 1 515 8 
			 2000 1,589 3 305 1 430 7 
			 2001 1,447 3 305 1 415 7 
			 2002 1,221 2 255 0 340 5 
			 2003 1,142 2 180 0 355 5 
			 2004 1,056 2 145 0 335 5 
			 2005 1,123 2 150 0 370 5 
		
	
	n/a—not available
	(36) Computerised claims only. Data rounded to nearest 5 for disclosure control.
	(37) Proportion of the resident working age population.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system
	
		Table 5: JSA claimants resident in the Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency
		
			  All Long-term (claiming over 12 months)(38) Youth (aged 18 to 24)(38) 
			 Annual averages Level Proportion(39) (percentage) Level Proportion(39) (percentage) Level(40) 
		
		
			 1996 2,584 7 775 2 800 
			 1997 1,874 5 600 2 570 
			 1998 1,541 4 330 1 465 
			 1999 1,563 4 255 1 450 
			 2000 1,338 3 260 1 380 
			 2001 1,207 3 255 1 365 
			 2002 1,009 3 215 1 295 
			 2003 951 2 155 0 305 
			 2004 904 2 125 0 285 
			 2005 946 2 130 0 315 
		
	
	(38) Computerised claims only. Data rounded to nearest 5 for disclosure control.
	(39) Proportion of the resident working age population. Denominators based on 2001 Census data adjusted to be consistent with 2001 mid-year population estimates for focal authorities.
	(40) Proportions for 18 to 24 group are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative System

Unemployment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of (a) unemployment, (b) long-term unemployment and (c) youth unemployment was in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997; and how many individuals this represented in each case.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 30 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about unemployment. (45427)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area labour force survey (LFS) following international labour organisation definitions.
	Table 1 shows rates and levels for all persons unemployed and youth (aged 16 to 24) unemployed resident in the Milton Keynes unitary authority from the annual local area LFS for each 12 months ending February 1998 to February 2004 and from the annual population survey for the 12 months ending March 2005. However, for the Milton Keynes unitary authority sample numbers are insufficient to provide estimates of the levels of long-term unemployment.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming jobseeker's allowance (ISA). Table 2 shows the annual average number of ISA claimants, and as a proportion of the resident working age population, and the annual average number of ISA claimants aged 18 to 24, and as a proportion of the resident population aged 18 to 24 and the annual average number of those claiming for over 12 months in the Milton Keynes unitary authority since 1997.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed persons resident in the Milton Keynes unitary authority.
		
			  All Youth (aged 16 to 24) 
			 12 months ending Level (Thousand) Rate (Percentage) Level (Thousand) Rate (Percentage) 
		
		
			 February 1998 9 8 4 19 
			 February 1999 7 7 2 8 
			 February 2000 5 4 (41)— (41)— 
			 February 2001 4 3 1 7 
			 February 2002 4 3 2 9 
			 February 2003 6 5 3 14 
			 February 2004 March 2005 6 6 5 5 2 3 8 14 
		
	
	(41) Estimate not available, sample size less than three could be disclosive.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the Milton Keynes unitary authority
		
			  All Youth(42) (aged 18 to 24) Long-term(42) (claiming over 12 months) 
			 Annual Averages Level Proportion(43) (Percentage) Level Proportion(44)(Percentage) Level(45) 
		
		
			 1997 3,610 3 1,030 6 830 
			 1998 2,591 2 690 4 470 
			 1999 2,358 2 595 3 290 
			 2000 2,085 2 480 3 240 
			 2001 1,976 1 460 2 165 
			 2002 2,337 2 550 3 180 
			 2003 2,678 2 660 3 305 
			 2004 2,590 2 615 3 375 
			 2005 2,683 2 675 4 395 
		
	
	(42) Computerised claims only. Data rounded to nearest five for disclosure control.
	(43) Proportion of the resident working age population.
	(44) Proportion of the resident population aged 18 to 24.
	(45) Data for claimants of job seeker's allowance is provided as a 12-month average (January to December) for each year from 1997 to 2005. Proportions for long-term claimants are not provided as for all but one year, the proportion is less than 0.5 per cent. and thus rounded to zero.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Caravans (Theft)

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will review the law relating to the theft of caravans.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government sees no need for a review of the law in this area. Theft of caravans is already a criminal offence and carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. We continue to review ways of reducing this type of crime, working with key stakeholders through the Leisure Sector Theft Action Group, a sub group of the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team.

Child Contact Arrangements

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Government will seek to legislate to require the family courts to be satisfied that contact arrangements will be safe for children.

Harriet Harman: The Government are committed to supporting positive contact arrangements following parental separation where it is in the best interests of, and is safe for, the child.
	Under the Children Act 1989, when making any decision pertinent to a child's upbringing, his or her welfare must be the court's paramount consideration.
	Furthermore, with the introduction in January 2005 of Gateway" forms, it is now easier for those suffering from domestic violence to bring it to the courts' attention at the start of contact and residence proceedings.
	The courts are required by the Children Act to consider any harm that a child may suffer before making a contact order. The definition of harm" was expressly clarified by Section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, commenced 31 January 2005, to include harm caused to a child by seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another person.
	In addition, the Children and Adoption Bill, currently before this House, would place a duty on CAFCASS to conduct a risk assessment in any private law proceedings where they are involved. This duty applies not only in cases where issues of harm are raised, but also in cases where the CAFCASS officer suspects that harm may be an issue. The CAFCASS officer is required to inform the court of the results of the risk assessment. That Bill would also allow courts to direct parties in contact proceedings to attend a domestic violence perpetrator programme to address violent behaviour.
	These measures, taken together, will ensure that the family courts are in a position to make decisions on what contact arrangements may be safe, based on all the facts, as early as possible in the proceedings.

Civil Legal Aid

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the availability of civil legal aid to people living in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission contracts with service providers throughout England and Wales to provide a range of legal and advice services across different categories of law.
	There are currently 19 service providers with a contract to undertake civil legal aid work in Hammersmith and Fulham. Service providers in Hammersmith and Fulham may help people who live outside the area, and people who live in Hammersmith and Fulham may visit a service provider in a different area.
	Any person residing in England or Wales can access free quality legal advice and information through Community Legal Service Direct. This service is available direct to the public through a telephone line, website and information leaflets.

Criminal Justice System

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many offenders' cases (a) were brought to court and (b) adjourned; how many trials were cancelled because the defendants were absent in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Figures relating to how many offenders' cases (a) were brought to court and (b) adjourned; how many trials were cancelled because the defendants were absent in the last year for which figures are available; can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 January 2005 to December 2005 Crown court Magistrates court(46) 
		
		
			 Cases listed for trial 38,264 170,842 
			 Total ineffective trials 5,261 97,104 
			 Defendant not present 1,281 8,555 
			
			 Reasons for defendant not present   
			 Defendant failed to attend 844 4,686 
			 Defendant not produced by Prison Service 49 2,459 
			 Defendant ill—trial stood out 388 1,410 
		
	
	(46) January 2005 to November 2005 for the magistrates

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many civil servants in her Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: My Department does not centrally monitor the number of staff who work from home. The total number of days worked from home could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs. My Department's Work Life Balance policy encourages home working through formal agreements, informal and 'ad-hoc' arrangements as part of a range of flexible working options available to all staff. My Department's Work Life Balance policy is considered an example of best practice by external organisations such as Opportunity Now, Working Families and Carers UK.

Deputy Lieutenants (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the appointment of three new deputy lieutenants for Lancashire.

Harriet Harman: Deputy lieutenants are appointed by the Lord Lieutenant in accordance with section 2 of the Lieutenancies Act 1997, subject to confirmation that Her Majesty does not disapprove of their appointment. In November last year, my Department informed the Lord Lieutenant for Lancashire that Her Majesty did not disapprove of the appointment of six new deputy lieutenants. These appointments were subsequently gazetted on 16 December.

Deputy Lieutenants (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs who was consulted on the appointment of three new deputy lieutenants for Lancashire; which geographical area the three newly appointed deputy lieutenants come from; where the existing deputy lieutenants reside; and what steps are taken to ensure (a) that deputy lieutenants represent the geographical diversity of Lancashire and (b) that there is a political balance among the deputy lieutenants.

Harriet Harman: Before appointing any deputy lieutenant, the lord lieutenant is required to satisfy himself that Her Majesty does not disapprove of the appointment. In December 2005, the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire appointed six new deputy lieutenants. They are: John Barnett, Esq, MBE, 33 North Park Drive, Blackpool FY3 8NJ; Edwin John Booth, Esq, Sykes Farm, Osbaldeston, Blackburn BB2 7LS; Mrs. Davina Margaret Dickson, Pointer House Farm, Langley Lane, Goosnargh, Preston PR3 2JS; Lt. Col. Edward John Downham, MBE, Knight Stainforth Farm, Knight Stainforth, Settle BD24 ODP; David Andrew Jones, Esq, MD, FRCS, Sugarcroft, Vicarage Lane, Blackburn BB1 9HY and Thomas Woodcock, Esq, LVO, Whiteholme, Slaidburn, Clitheroe BB7 3AE.
	The allocation of deputy lieutenants to particular geographical areas is a matter for the lord lieutenant and lord lieutenants take geographical location into consideration when appointing deputy lieutenants. Information on membership of political parties is are not held centrally. Deputy lieutenants are, of course, aware that their role is essentially non-political and impartial.

Deputy Lieutenants (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the deputy lieutenants for Lancashire, indicating of which political party those who hold such membership are members.

Harriet Harman: I will place a list of the deputy lieutenants for Lancashire in the Library, shortly. My Department does not keep a record of the political affiliation, if any, of deputy lieutenants.

Government Information

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she plans to introduce proposals for custodial sentences for the abuse and unauthorised sale of government information.

Harriet Harman: Custodial sentences are already in place for the unauthorised disclosure of some types of government information, including tax and social security data. My Department, together with the Home Office, is currently considering whether custodial sentences would be an appropriate sanction for unauthorised disclosure of other types of personal information.

Judges (Part-time)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the part-time judges who sit for 20 days a year; and what factors she took into account when deciding not to update previously published lists of part-time judges.

Harriet Harman: There are approximately 6,700 fee-paid judicial postholders. It is the Lord Chancellor's policy that fee-paid judicial post holders, in the majority of jurisdictions, are offered and expected to complete a minimum of 15 sitting days a year provided that the work is available. The number of sitting days completed by each fee-paid judicial office holder is managed and recorded locally (within the circuits/regions or by the tribunal/judicial heads). There is no central record. Since its creation in 2003, my Department has not published a comprehensive list of fee-paid judges.

Judicial Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the judicial appointments made since 1 January.

Harriet Harman: In the period 1 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor made the following appointments:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 District judges (magistrates courts) 2 
			 Lay members of the Information Tribunal 15 
			 Members of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission 20

Judicial Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs in how many cases the Secretary of State has overturned the advice of officials concerning judicial appointments.

Harriet Harman: None. Officials do not make decisions on judicial appointments.

Jury Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of hon. Members selected for jury service since the rules were changed to allow this.

Harriet Harman: The employment of those summoned to jury service is not known. When an MP serves as a juror they do so as a private citizen so exact figures relating to the number of MPs called to jury service cannot be given. However, five MPs are known to have been called to jury service since section 321 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 came into force on 5 April 2004.

Legal Services Ombudsman

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the most recent annual report of the Legal Services Ombudsman; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Service Ombudsman made an annual report to the Secretary of State which he laid before Parliament on 11 July 2005, as required by Schedule 3(5) of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.
	The Government welcome the continued work of the Legal Services Ombudsman in investigating the complaints handling of the professional bodies. The Government also welcome the progress being made by the professional bodies in the service they provide to consumers, as reflected in the Ombudsman's annual report, and looks forward to further improvements in the future.

Mediation Services

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much funding the Government have allocated to mediation and dispute resolution services in each of the last two years.

Harriet Harman: The Department spent a total of £287,922.59 during the financial year 2003–04 and £375,936.40 during the financial year 2004–05 on activities to promote the use of mediation and other alternatives to the court process.

Mediation Services

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much public money was spent on Mediation Awareness Week, on 24 to 31 October 2005.

Harriet Harman: The Department has spent a total of £70,707.78 on the Mediation Awareness Campaign. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Publicity/launch 66,516.89 
			 Travel and local funding 4,190.89

Small Claims

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Government's (a) review of the small claims limit and (b) consultation paper on the small claims track will be published.

Harriet Harman: The Government plan to publish a consultation paper on the small claims limit. No date has been set.

Voting Systems

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006 to question reference 41390, when the review of new voting systems began; who the members are of the review group; when their final report will be completed; whether the report will be published; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The review of voting systems began in February 2005. The review is being conducted by officials within my Department. Any decisions on any next steps, if necessary, will be taken in due course.
	The review group is at official level within the purview of my Department and the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Electoral Policy. The Cabinet Sub-Committee's members are:
	Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State (Chair);
	Secretary of State for Scotland;
	Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons;
	Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip;
	Secretary of State for the Home Department;
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Secretary of State for Wales;
	Minister without Portfolio;
	Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor;
	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Minister for the Cabinet Office);
	Chief Secretary to the Treasury;
	Minister for Europe;
	Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Phil Woolas)

HEALTH

Agenda for Change Programme

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effects of the agenda for change programme in each grade of NHS staff in Gravesham constituency.

Caroline Flint: No assessment has been made of the effect of the agenda for change pay system by constituency. Local implementation of the system is a matter for the relevant local national health service organisations, subject to compliance with nationally agreed guidance.

Air Ambulances

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to make an announcement on the funding of air ambulances.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 January 2006
	Air ambulances are funded by charities. Since 1 April 2002, the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances has been met by the national health service on a continuing basis. It is for NHS trusts to decide whether they provide any additional funding to air ambulance charities.

Ambulance Service (Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the proposed plans for the restructuring of ambulance services in the Sussex area.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 26 January 2006
	The consultation for the proposed configuration of national health service ambulance trusts in England is being led by strategic health authorities (SHAs). SHAs will co-ordinate consultation locally and ensure that relevant authorities and interested parties are able to express their views. A full analysis of the responses received by the SHAs and the Department will be undertaken at the end of the consultation. The consultation will conclude on 22 March 2006.

Barts and the London NHS Trust

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings officials from her Department have had with representatives of the Barts and the London NHS trust; when such meetings took place; what discussions took place at such meetings; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Since September 2005 departmental officials have met with representatives of the Barts and the London national health service trust on the following dates:
	22 September 2005;
	26 September 2005;
	30 September 2005;
	3 October 2005;
	17 October 2005;
	20 October 2005;
	26 October 2005;
	7 November 2005;
	28 November 2005;
	2 December 2005;
	7 December 2005;
	21 December 2005;
	3 January 2006; and
	6 January 2006.
	These meetings covered a range of general financial and operational issues, but principally the full business case for the trust's Private Finance Initiative project.

Birth Costs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, columns 111–12W, on birth costs, what the reference costs are for the three resource groups specified for each NHS trust providing maternity care in 2003–04.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2006
	The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Brain Tumours

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many brain tumour patients she estimates would benefit from the use of (a) carmustine implants and (b) temozolomide; and what the cost of such treatment would be.

Rosie Winterton: There are around 1,900 new cases of malignant glioma each year in England and Wales. The number of glioma patients who would benefit from treatment with carmustine implants or temozolomide will depend on tumour grading.
	According to the British National Formulary (50th edition), the cost of one carmustine implant is £650.38, excluding value added tax. The cost of treatment will depend on the number of implants used and will vary in individual cases. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.
	The cost of temozolomide is £17.30 for 5X5 milligram tablets, £69.20 for 5X20 milligram tablets, £346.00 for 5X100 milligram tablets and £865 for 5X250 milligram tablets, excluding VAT. The cost of treatment may vary depending on individual circumstances, and in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.

Brain Tumours

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the disparity in the availability of temozolomide treatment for brain tumour sufferers in different parts of England.

Jane Kennedy: In June 2004, Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director published a report into variations in usage of cancer drugs approved by the then National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), including temozolomide for recurrent malignant glioma.
	This report showed considerable variation in drug usage between cancer networks and set out a number of recommendations to address this. One of the recommendations was to ensure that action plans were developed to respond to the report findings.
	The action plans were encouraging, confirming that the profile of implementing NICE appraisals has increased and that where problems have been identified they have been, or are in the process of being, addressed.
	An update of Professor Richard's report will be published later this year to confirm if variations have been reduced as a result of these actions.

Brain Tumours

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department (a) to increase and (b) to speed up access to radiotherapy for brain tumour patients.

Rosie Winterton: This Government are committed to the expansion of radiotherapy capacity. This will increase and improve access to radiotherapy services to all cancer patients. Much has been done already, for example:
	the number of linear accelerators (linacs) installed in the national health service increased from 140 to 210 between 1997 and October 2005, an increase of 50 per cent.;
	the number of trainee therapy radiographers has doubled and the workforce is now starting to expand; and
	the number of radiographers has increased from 1407 in 1997 to 1753 in 2004, an increase of 25 per cent.
	In addition, a national radiotherapy advisory group, chaired by the National Cancer director, is considering all aspects of planning and delivery of radiotherapy services including: streamlining service delivery; service quality; equipment requirements; training and workforce needs; and future developments. The group will advise Ministers on the development and delivery of high quality radiotherapy services later this year.

Brain Tumours

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department to improve the survival rates for people with brain tumours.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently developing guidance on Improving outcomes in brain and other central nervous system tumours".
	This guidance, in conjunction with the significant improvements to cancer services resulting from the national health service cancer plan—such as improved waiting times, more cancer specialists, and more equipment to diagnose and treat cancers—will ensure that survival rates for brain tumour patients improve.

Brain Tumours

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken by her Department to improve service delivery for brain tumour patients;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by her Department to reduce disparities in care within the UK, with particular reference to treatments for brain tumour patients.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was formed on 1 April 2005, when the NICE took on the functions of the Health Development Agency to create a single excellence-in-practice organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.
	NICE is currently preparing guidance on improving outcomes in brain and other central nervous system tumours for use in the national health service in England and Wales. This guidance will give advice on the service configuration for patients with these tumours to improve outcomes.
	Implementation of NICE guidance is a developmental standard as set out in 'National Standards Local Action' published in July 2004. The Healthcare Commission is responsible for assessing progress of healthcare organisations towards achieving developmental standards.
	Once published, the guidance will form the basis for measures for inclusion in the 'Manual for Cancer Services'. The 'Manual of Cancer Services' is an integral part of the NHS cancer plan and modernisation of cancer services. It supports quality assurance of cancer services and enables quality improvement.

Cancer (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients normally resident in Hereford have been treated for cancer in Herefordshire in the past 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The number of patients resident in the Herefordshire primary care trust area treated for cancer in Hereford Hospitals National Health Service Trust NHS hospitals in 2004–05 was 1,555.
	For the same period the number of finished consultant episodes was 1,998.
	Notes:
	Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Patient counts
	Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell.
	Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	Ungrossed Data
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Cancer (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS funding awarded to Herefordshire primary care trust is assigned to treating cancer patients in the county.

Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Cancer (Herefordshire)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was in Herefordshire for a cancer patient from diagnosis to initial treatment in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The table shows the number of days waited from diagnosis to treatment for the most recent quarters available at Herefordshire Hospital National Health Service Trust.
	
		
			   Waiting time from diagnosis to treatment (days) 
			 Reporting period Total referrals 31 and under 32–38 39–48 49–62 63–76 77–90 91–104 105+ 
		
		
			 2004–05 Q3 148 141 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 
			 2004–05 Q4 154 148 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 
			 2005–06 Q1 148 144 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2005–06 Q2 175 168 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 625 601 10 6 8 — — — — 
		
	
	Note:
	96.2 per cent. of patients were treated within 31 days.
	Source:
	Cancer Waiting Times Database (CWT-Db), Department of Health.

Child Protection

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of forthcoming primary care trust mergers on the number of designated professionals who safeguard children (a) locally and (b) in England; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are making proposals about reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs) in their areas. Regardless of the configuration, each SHA, PCT, NHS trust or NHS foundation trust will be required to link up with the local authority or authorities that cover the same areas in order to set up a local safeguarding children's board (LSCB) by April 2006. The guidance on safeguarding children, Working Together to Safeguard Children" makes it clear that each LSCB must have access to appropriate expertise and advice.

Children's Hospices

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the funding of children's hospices in England.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 December 2005
	Primary care trusts working with their local partners and stakeholders remain best placed to decide the level and range of palliative care needed by the children and young people in their locality and are able to respond directly to their needs. We have made our manifesto pledge to increase funding for end of life care and this includes care for children and young people. We will make further announcements on this funding in the near future.

Consultants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid by her Department to the consultants McKinseys in each of the last eight years.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The fees paid in the last five financial years to date are shown in the table. The amounts do not include work relating to Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts.
	Years prior to this have been archived and the data could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Financial year Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 0 
			 2002–03 0 
			 2003–04 0 
			 2004–05 240,000 
			 2005–06 (47)1,274,875 
		
	
	(47) To date.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) letters from hon. Members, (b) letters from members of the public and (c) Parliamentary Questions from (i) hon. Members and (ii) Lords were dealt with by her Department in each year since 1995 in respect of the percentage her Department took (A) more than one month and (B) more than three months to provide a substantive answer; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members'/Peers' correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137–140WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library.
	On letters from members of the public, the table shows the totals received since 1999 (we do not have earlier records) and shows, from 2002, the percentage of letters replied to within 20 days. To break that down further would incur a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Letters received from members of the public  Percentage of replies sent within 20 days 
		
		
			 1999 28,982 not held 
			 2000 33,546 not held 
			 2001 30,779 not held 
			 2002 28,175 36 
			 2003 32,584 61 
			 2004 30,436 88 
			 2005 to end November 48,335 98 
		
	
	On parliamentary questions, the information is in the following tables. Ministers endeavour to reply to all parliamentary questions within parliamentary deadlines where possible.
	
		House of Lords
		
			  Percentage of parliamentary questions answered more than 20 working days after receipt Percentage of parliamentary questions answered more than 60 working days after receipt 
		
		
			 2003 6.7 0 
			 2004 7.3 0 
			 2005 3.3 0 
		
	
	
		House of Commons
		
			  Percentage of parliamentary questions answered more than 20 working days after receipt Percentage of parliamentary questions answered more than 60 working days after receipt 
		
		
			 2003 13.8 0.6 
			 2004 11.1 0.3 
			 2005 11.6 1.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers reflect days taken from receipt, not days after the question was due for answer. Numbers include questions, where answers within a one month timeframe are not possible—for example, those tabled in July for answer in September or October.
	2. 2005 figures as at 14 December.

Departmental Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) her Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which her Department is responsible in each English region owned in (1) 2003–04 and (2) 2004–05.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has held asset information, across all asset types since September 2003. The actual number of assets in each category can vary month on month and therefore a snapshot of information shown in the table represents assets held for 2003–04 and 2004–05. The representative month in each year is September. The Department does not hold centrally asset information for non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies or for other public bodies for which it is responsible.
	
		
			 Asset type September 2003 September 2004 
		
		
			 Personal computers 6,766 6,291 
			 Laptops 2,419 2,966 
			 Servers 586 533 
			 Printers 2,548 2,420 
			 Scanners 202 202 
			 Photocopiers 122 122 
			 Fax machines 464 425

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual expenditure on vehicles by (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Jane Kennedy: For details of expenditure on ministerial vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 20 December 2005 from the chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker). Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
	For the core Department, information is not collected on a consistent basis for the years requested. Nor is information on other public bodies collected centrally. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Jane Kennedy: Employer contributions for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are (to the nearest thousand) as follows:
	2002–03—£20,022,000
	2003–04—£21,096,000
	2004–05—£14,985,000
	Projected costs for 2005–06 are £13,500,000.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research projects commissioned by her Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.

Jane Kennedy: The Department funds research that provides a knowledge base for health and social care policy and, separately, to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. Details of the projects currently forming part of the Department's national research programmes 1 can be found on the National Research Register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	National programme project findings are placed on the Research Findings Electronic Register (ReFeR) database that can similarly be found on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/research. The researchers concerned are also responsible in each case for publishing the results of the research they undertake. Some national programme co-ordinating centres have freestanding websites and use them separately to disseminate outputs from their programmes.
	Details of other research commissioned by the Department are shown in the table.
	1 Policy Research, Health Technology Assessment, New and Emerging Applications of Technology, Service Delivery Organisation, Genetics, Forensic Mental Health, Patient Safety, Dental.
	
		
			 Project title Means of publication 
		
		
			 National prevalence survey of healthcare associated infections in acute hospitals in peer reviewed journal 
			 Development of a National Strategy for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Primary Care in peer reviewed journal 
			 Bacteraemia in children caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA) in peer reviewed journal 
			 National confidential study of deaths associated with healthcare associated infection in peer reviewed journal 
			 Development of an assessment tool to measure the elements of the in-patient environment associated with the quality of patient care on the Estates and Facilities research and development programme page of the Department's website 
			 What is the size and nature of the current need for single room isolation in hospital, and how does success or failure to isolate patients affect the control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA) on the Estates and Facilities page of the Department's website 
			 An evidence based model for establishing the performance of hospital ventilation systems on the Estates and Facilities page of the Department's website 
			 The effects of the interior environmental design on patients and staff in maternity facilities on the Estates and Facilities page of the Department's website 
			 Empirical review of NHS Estates ergonomic drawings on the Estates and Facilities page of the Department's website 
			 Evaluation of genetics service development projects on the Department's website 
			 Public perceptions and patient experience of the NHS: six-monthly survey on the Department's website and MORI website six months after receipt in the Department 
			 Public satisfaction with NHS, expectations and biggest problems: monthly survey on the Department's website and MORI website six months after receipt (six month trends) 
			 Public plain English workshops: quarterly focus groups on the Department's website six months after receipt (summary report) 
			 DH stakeholder survey: six-monthly mini-surveys executive summary sent to key stakeholders; full report published on the Department's website no more than six months after receipt 
			 National media evaluation: monthly reports on the Department's website six months after receipt (summary report of coverage) 
			 Regional media evaluation: monthly reports on the Department's website six months after receipt (summary report of coverage)

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants in her Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has a formal home-working scheme under which the home is the employee's place of work for all or some of the working week. The Department's human resource information system currently records four staff as members of this scheme. However, the Department also provides a wide variety of other arrangements which allow staff to work flexibly, and thereby help to promote diversity and the achievement of a better work-life balance, while still ensuring its business is conducted effectively. These include initiatives such as a flexitime scheme, part-time working, job sharing, part-year appointments, which are particularly suitable for people wishing to work only during school term time, compressed hours, fitting the working week into less that five full days, and special leave arrangements to cope with a variety of circumstances.
	The Department also allows staff to work at home on an occasional basis at management discretion. This is becoming more widespread with the greater use of information technology, which means staff can carry out more of their work away from the office.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by her Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report, Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government departments.

Liam Byrne: The Department has lead responsibility for recommendations primarily relating to increasing people's ability to live independently. Our first priority for action has been developing pilots for Individual Budgets. The idea behind Individual Budgets is to put people at the centre of the system that delivers their services and give them more choice and control over how resources are used to support their needs. The Department is working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to take this forward.
	We are also working with DfES to take forward a number of recommendations relating to early years and family support and the transition to adulthood, such as pilots in 70 local authorities for year 9 transition reviews for children with learning disabilities.
	The Department of Health has supported DWP in its launch of the Office of Disability Issues (ODI). We are working with DWP and the ODI to take forward recommendations on supporting disabled people to find and retain employment.

Drug Prices

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the price paid by the NHS for drugs and medicines compared with the European average; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 25 January 2006
	Prices for branded medicines in the United Kingdom are broadly comparable to those in Germany and Finland but higher than those in most other European countries, based on 2003 market exchange rates. Further details are available in the Eighth Report to Parliament on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.

Emergency Re-admissions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to question 29552, on emergency re-admissions, if she will provide the figures for quarter 4 of 2004–05 and quarter 1 of 2005–06.

Liam Byrne: Total figures by quarter (but not by age) are published in the Chief Executive's Report to the NHS, Statistical Supplement-December 2005". The statistical supplement is available at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/43/03/04124303.pdf.
	More detailed and more specific figures by appropriate age band will be published on the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development's (NCHOD) website www.nchod.nhs.uk in early 2006, though they will not cover the precise age bands as provided in the reply I gave on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 762W.
	There may be small differences between the various sources due to differences in coverage and definition.

Executive Agencies

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) targets, (b) advice and (c) guidance her Department has given to Executive agencies that fall under the remit of her Department on the reorganisation of their administrative functions on a regional basis; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: In response to the Lyons Review, the Department has advised its Executive agencies and other arms length bodies (ALBs) that where opportunities arise, plans should be formulated to relocate posts that are not involved in local service delivery to new locations outside London and the Greater South East. In formulating these plans, agencies are to take account of the guidance being produced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on choice of location.
	For the Department's Executive agencies this work is being taken forward as part of the change programme arising from the Department's ALB review of 2004.

Fake Prescription Drugs

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to prevent fake prescription drugs entering the NHS supply chain;
	(2)  what procedures are in place to safeguard the supply of prescription drugs to the NHS;
	(3)  what research she has evaluated on the number of fatalities within the NHS due to fake medications.

Jane Kennedy: The Government body responsible for the regulation and licensing of medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates a comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategy, working with partners and stakeholders to ensure that the current safeguards work effectively and that vigilance against counterfeit medicines entering the legitimate United Kingdom supply chain is maintained. The key elements of this strategy include:
	the operation of Europe's largest medicines surveillance scheme to spot-check medicines on the UK market and then undertake laboratory analysis to test for authentication;
	increased checks by MHRA inspectors for counterfeits when inspecting pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors;
	collaborative international enforcement action and a training and education/awareness raising program amongst law enforcement agencies and pharmaceutical stakeholders, conducted domestically, at European level, and internationally between respective national medicines regulators.
	This is a long-term strategy which is backed by investment and a significant commitment of resources to minimise the risk of counterfeit medicines reaching patients.
	The supply and distribution of medicines is tightly controlled within the European community. All licensed wholesalers must comply with the community's agreed standards of good distribution practice and there exist strict licensing and regulatory requirements enshrined in UK domestic legislation to safeguard patients against potential hazards arising from poor distribution practices, for example, purchasing suspect or counterfeit products, poor storage, failing to establish the bona fides of suppliers and purchasers, inadequate record keeping, avoiding deterioration of the medicinal product, etc. The MHRA will take regulatory action where breaches are identified, which may take the form of revoking licenses or the instigation of criminal proceedings.
	The MHRA is unaware of any fatalities within the UK directly attributable to counterfeit medicines, and does not conduct research into this issue.

Folic Acid

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department distributes informing women of child bearing age about folic acid supplementation.

Caroline Flint: The Department has produced information for women on the benefits of taking folic acid supplementation through a leaflet called 'Folic acid what all women should know' for the national health service. Information on the benefits of folic acid supplementation is also included in the 'Pregnancy Book' for women planning a subsequent pregnancy and all communications on diet and nutrition for women of child bearing age. Mainstream verbal advice is also given by health professionals who come into contact with women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy.

Gene Therapy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide further funding for the MDEX consortium gene therapy clinical trials.

Jane Kennedy: In 2004, the Department awarded £1.6 million to the muscular dystrophy campaign, headed by Professor Francesco Muntoni at Imperial College London for research on duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). If successful, this research should lead to the first UK gene therapy clinical trial aimed at treating DMD. The Government will carefully monitor developments in this area in considering future funding needs.

Genetic Testing

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to build capacity for genetic testing services in the NHS;
	(2)  what funding she has made available for expanding genetic testing services since 1997, broken down by area of expenditure.

Jane Kennedy: Genetic testing is one component of specialised medical genetics services. These are commissioned by specialised commissioning groups, funded by their constituent primary care trusts (PCTs) from PCTs' normal allocations to provide services for their local populations.
	The Government have undertaken a number of initiatives since 2001 to strengthen genetic services. In 2002, nearly £11 million was awarded over up to three years across England to provide new laboratory equipment and pump-prime new substantive posts in both clinical and laboratory services. Over 40 clinical scientist and technical posts were funded.
	The genetics White Paper, Our Inheritance, Our Future—Realising the potential of genetics in the NHS" in June 2003 built further on this investment. Up to £3.5 million is being made available for a programme to increase the laboratory workforce. This will fund up to 90 new laboratory scientist trainees and the equivalent of 10 full time trainer posts. We have also invested £1.5 million so far in a scheme to train 50 new genetics counsellors over a period of five years.
	The White Paper committed to £18 million to expand and modernise National health service genetic laboratory capacity. This investment, made during 2004–05 and 2005–06, will support genetics laboratories in delivering the genetics White Paper standards for making test results available more quickly.
	We have also invested over 4 million to date on several initiatives, including two national genetics reference laboratories and staffing support for the UK Genetic Testing Network, that help laboratories make best use of their capacity.

Genetic Testing

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which genetic tests are offered by NHS organisations in England; which providers offer genetic testing services; which conditions can be diagnosed by these genetic tests; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The UK Genetic Testing Network (UKGTN) is a network of the main national health service molecular genetic laboratories in the United Kingdom. It produces the 'NHS Directory of Molecular Genetic Testing' which lists molecular genetic tests available through NHS genetic services (www.ukgtn.org) as well as a database of all UKGTN laboratories and the tests that they offer. As many tests are rare and volumes are often low no laboratory offers all the tests listed but tests are sent to other laboratories as necessary.
	In addition to these molecular genetic tests offered through the UKGTN some tests will be offered through other laboratories such as those serving haemophilia services and there are other types of genetic test provided for example through cytogenetics laboratories.
	The services in England are shown in the following table; they deal with a wide range of genetic disorders, including inherited cancers. There is a further service at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, which deals with inherited cancers only. In general the same trust is host to both the clinical and laboratory services.
	
		
			 Name of service and city Host trust 
		
		
			 West Midlands Regional Genetics Service Birmingham Birmingham Women's Health Care NHS Trust 
			 South Western Regional Genetics Service—Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire Bristol United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 East Anglian Medical Genetics Service Cambridge Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			 South Western Regional Genetics Service—Devon and Cornwall Exeter Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 
			 Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service Leeds Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS trust 
			 Leicestershire Genetics Centre Leicester University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust 
			 Merseyside And Cheshire Genetic Laboratories Liverpool Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust 
			   
			 London (four main services)  
			 South East Thames Regional Genetics Service Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 
			 South West Thames Regional Genetic Centre St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 North East Thames Regional Clinical and Molecular Genetics Service Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust 
			 North West Thames Regional Genetics Service North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 University Dept Of Medical Genetics And Regional Genetic Service Manchester Central Manchester and Manchester Children's NHS Trust 
			 Northern Genetics Service Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Nottingham Centre For Medical Genetics Nottingham Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Oxford Regional Genetics Service Oxford Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Sheffield Regional Genetics Services Sheffield Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust 
			 Wessex Clinical Genetics Service Southampton Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Associated laboratory service Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory Salisbury Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust

Good Hope Hospital

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the contract with Secta at Good Hope Hospital Trust was terminated; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2006
	Birmingham and The Black Country strategic health authority reports that the board of Good Hope Hospital National Health Service Trust reviewed its strategic objectives in conjunction with its franchise partner, Tribal Secta, and decided that the best way to achieve foundation trust status by 2008 was to seek a local NHS partner to work with. As a result, the board has accepted interim management support from Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and has given the new management team a specific remit to assess whether Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust can stand alone or should seek a merger partner. The contract with Tribal Secta, which was scheduled to run until August 2006, was therefore terminated by mutual agreement eight months early to facilitate the trust's new strategic objective of achieving foundation trust status.

Good Hope Hospital

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the out-turn against budget at Good Hope Hospital Trust has been in each month of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the annual turnover and out-turn for Good Hope Hospital National Health Service Trust in each of the last five years.
	
		£000
		
			  Turnover Surplus/deficit 
		
		
			 2000–01 71,544 48 
			 2001–02 82,551 53 
			 2002–03 89,050 -839 
			 2003–04 93,715 -5,014 
			 2004–05 106,570 -3,576 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Turnover' is the sum of 'income from activities', and 'other operating income'.
	2. 'Surplus/deficit' figures relate to the 'retained surplus/deficit for the year' of the trust, in each case.
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust.

Greenwich District Hospital

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the change in methodology in the calculation of profit from the sale of the former Greenwich District Hospital site; and who has been affected financially as a consequence of this change.

Jane Kennedy: This is a local matter. However, the South East London Strategic Health Authority has advised that the methodology used in the calculation of profit of sale of the former Greenwich District Hospital site did not change. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust made a net £1.1 million surplus from the disposal of this site in 2004–05 arising from the difference between the net sale proceeds and the value of the asset in the trust's audited accounts. This benefit reduces the size of the deficit that the trust has to recover.

Home Oxygen Therapy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average delivery time was for emergency oxygen deliveries to out-patients in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 24 January 2006
	These figures are not available centrally.
	The new home oxygen service, which starts on 1 February 2006, specifically includes the provision of oxygen to patients at home on an emergency basis. Under the new arrangements, where clinical staff order this service, the supplier will deliver oxygen to the patient's home within four hours. The new service contract also includes arrangements for monitoring response times.

Home Oxygen Therapy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications of the changed arrangements for home oxygen therapy on (a) waiting times for service and (b) patient safety; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The new arrangements offer patients a wider range of modern equipment that will support them in the better management of their symptoms at home and help avoid the need for emergency admission to hospital, wherever possible. The new service contract also sets out specific delivery times for home oxygen, including where ordered on an emergency basis and where ordered to support a patient's discharge from hospital.
	The new arrangements will continue to ensure that patients receive a safe and efficient home oxygen service. A detailed service specification emphasises the importance of arrangements to assess risks to patients using equipment and the contract makes provision for potential risks to supply. The new service is available on a 24 hours, seven days a week basis. A free phone service allows clinical staff to order the required service and seek advice at any time. Patients also have access to this service to provide support on any problems in using equipment or disruption to supply.

Hospital Admissions (Drug Misuse)

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions with primary diagnoses of mental and behavioural disorders relating to drug misuse took place in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Hospital admissions under mental illness specialties with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder and relating to drug misuse, in England between 2000–01 and 2004–05, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Data year 
			 Type of drug 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(48) 2004–05(48) 
		
		
			 Pharm drugs 380 330 400 380 400 
			 Heroin 3,620 3,520 3,310 3,120 3,110 
			 Cocaine 100 160 190 220 190 
			 Cannabis 490 580 590 710 710 
			 Alcohol 12,130 11,470 11,870 11,280 10,910 
			 Nicotine 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Stimulants 240 310 360 310 280 
			 Hallucinogen 70 80 70 80 70 
			 All 17,020 16,460 16,780 16,110 15,670 
		
	
	(48) The figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data and/or clinical error and are ungrossed, and all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Hospital Beds (North-East)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the occupancy rates were for each hospital trust in the North East in the last three years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the tables:
	
		Occupancy rate of beds open overnight, trusts in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA, 2002–03 to 2004–05
		
			 OrgID Name 2002–03 (Percentage) 2003–04 (Percentage) 2004–05 (Percentage) 
		
		
			 RLN City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust 71.0 88.4 81.1 
			 RR7 Gateshead Health NHS Trust 81.4 81.2 82.8 
			 RNP Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust 83.1 83.9 84.3 
			 RM6 Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust 97.4 85.9 83.8 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 79.6 79.5 79.3 
			 RW9 South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health NHS Trust 75.9 82.9 83.3 
			 RE9 South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust 75.2 75.3 77.9 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT — — 85.6 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 49.2 63.4 78.6 
			 RTD The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 82.0 82.2 81.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	Revised 7 December 2005 following refresh of dataset in line with Department of Health revision policy.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03
	
		Occupancy rate of beds open overnight, trusts in County Durham and Tees Valley SHA, 2002–03 to 2004–05
		
			 OrgID Name 2002–03 (Percentage) 2003–04 (Percentage) 2004–05 (Percentage) 
		
		
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust — 75.2 75.9 
			 RTC County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust 89.3 84.3 85.0 
			 5J8 Durham Dales PCT 83.0 45.4 70.1 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT 80.4 77.1 74.7 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 65.4 70.8 79.2 
			 RR9 North Durham Health Care NHS Trust 84.7 — — 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 80.6 80.3 82.2 
			 RTA South Durham Health Care NHS Trust 67.4 — — 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 75.6 81.7 83.2 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 94.0 91.7 90.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	Revised 7 December 2005 following refresh of dataset in line with Department of Health revisions policy.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03

Influenza Vaccinations

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of those aged over 65 years are expected to receive influenza vaccinations by the end of winter 2005–06.

Caroline Flint: Under the new inspection systems national targets are no longer set. Targets are now a local decision. In the Chief Medical Officer letter to health professionals dated 25 July 2005, he said that continued improvement of uptake rates across all groups should be encouraged.

Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of mal de debarquement syndrome;
	(2)  how many patients in England were diagnosed as having mal de debarquement syndrome in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what treatments for mal de debarquement syndrome are available on the NHS.

Liam Byrne: We have no plans to increase awareness of this very rare condition.
	Information on the number of patients with mal de debarquement is not collected.
	We are not aware of any effective treatment for mal de debarquement.

Maternity Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many midwife-led birth centres there are in England;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to promote caseload working in maternity services.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 January 2006
	It is a matter for local services to determine how they use their midwifery resources and how far they are able to introduce caseload working in maternity services. Not all midwives are able to undertake this form of working as it requires a great deal of flexibility in terms of their working day. Trusts that have been successful in attracting and retaining their midwifery workforce have in place a variety of care models.

Maternity Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there were in the national health service in England, expressed as (a) a headcount and (b) whole-time equivalents, in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Midwives employed in the national health service as at 30 September each year
		
			  Headcount Full-time equivalent 
		
		
			 1995 22,022 18,034 
			 1996 22,595 18,262 
			 1997 22,385 18,053 
			 1998 22,841 18,168 
			 1999 22,799 17,876 
			 2000 22,572 17,662 
			 2001 23,075 18,048 
			 2002 23,249 18,119 
			 2003 23,941 18,444 
			 2004 24,844 18,854 
		
	
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Maternity Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to offer women choice over which midwife provides one-to-one continuing care during pregnancy and birth.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 January 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1064W.

Maternity Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many three-month vacancies for midwives there are in the national health service in England.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The last survey showed that there were 348 three-month vacancies for midwives in the national health service in England at March 2005. The vacancy rate has fallen from 3.3 per cent. in March 2004 to 1.8 per cent. in March 2005, which is shown in the following table.
	
		Three-month vacancies and vacancy rates March 1999–05
		
			  Vacancy rate (percentage) Number of vacancies 
		
		
			 1999 2.1 400 
			 2000 2.8 510 
			 2001 2.6 470 
			 2002 2.8 530 
			 2003 3.1 572 
			 2004 3.3 619 
			 2005 1.8 348 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Vacancy rates rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Number of vacancies rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Three-month vacancies are posts that have been vacant for three months or more as at 30 March that trusts are actively trying to fill.
	4. Three-month vacancy rates are three-month vacancies as a percentage of vacancies plus staff in post.

Medical Staff (Pay)

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in requiring the (a) doctors and dentists review body and (b) nurses and other health professionals review body to consider local pay; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 January 2006
	In the Budget on 9 April 2003, the Chancellor announced that public sector pay arrangements, including those for most of the staff groups covered by pay review bodies should include a greater local and regional dimension. In the light of this announcement the terms of reference of the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration and the review body for nursing and other health professions were amended in 2003 to ask the review bodies, in reaching their recommendations, to have regard to regional or local variations in labour markets and their impact on recruitment and retention.

Medicine Use Reviews

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps were taken by (a) her Department and (b) the NHS to make the public aware of the availability of medicine use reviews (i) before and (ii) after their introduction; and how much was spent by each for such purposes;
	(2)  what estimate her Department made of the number of medicine use reviews that would be conducted in the first (a) six and (b) 12 months of the scheme;
	(3)  how many medicine use reviews have been conducted in each quarter since the scheme commenced;
	(4)  how much her Department allocated to medicine use reviews in (a) their first and (b) each subsequent year of operation.

Jane Kennedy: Medicines use review (MURs) is an advanced service within the new community pharmacy contractual framework, which went live from 1 April 2005. Community pharmacists can chose whether or not they undertake MURs, but must meet accreditation requirements if they do. £39 million has been allocated for this service in 2005–06. Each pharmacy contractor can undertake up to a maximum of 250 MURs, if they meet the requirements before 1 January 2006, or 200 MURs, if they meet the requirements from 1 January 2006, in the first year.
	The number of MURs conducted monthly since the scheme commenced are shown in the table.
	
		
			 As at 2005:  
		
		
			 April 373 
			 May 718 
			 June 870 
			 July 1,688 
			 August 2,241 
			 September 5,037 
			 October 8,696 
			 November (49)13,646 
		
	
	(49) The figure for November 2005 is provisional and subject to revision.
	In the first six months, community pharmacies would have been focusing on meeting the requirements of the essential services, which had to be met by the end of the transition period on 1 October 2005.
	The communication strategy for the new community pharmacy contractual framework, developed by the Department, Pharmaceutical Negotiating Committee and NHS Employers, provides for timely dissemination of information and messages at a number of stages by all parties to the strategy. It is important that the public is made aware of the new services at the point they become widely available.
	The Department has to date committed £58,450 for printing and distribution of a booklet entitled Medicines Use Review: Understand Your Medicines" prepared by Medicines Partnership. This booklet is aimed at patients to help them get the most from their MUR. All pharmacies in England were sent copies of the booklet just before Christmas, with a covering letter giving details of the Department's publications orderline at 08701 555 455 to call for further supplies. In addition, the booklet is posted on the Medicines Partnership's website and can be downloaded or viewed, as required www.medicines-partnership.org.

Medicines Management

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will publish the results of the Hospitals Medicines Management Framework Self-Assessment; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will list the statistical information collected by her Department relating to medicines management in hospitals; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many hospitals have self-medication systems in place; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As part of the Department's commitment to reducing administrative burdens on the national health service, statistical information relating to medicines management in hospitals is not collected routinely. However, in 2003 NHS trusts were invited to self-assess their medicines management performance against developmental good practice standards contained in the Department's medicines management framework. Responses were considered by strategic health authorities (SHAs) and, where appropriate, action plans to address areas of weakness would be developed and implemented by the individual trusts. The information collected by SHAs suggested that by the end of 2004 some 67 per cent. of respondents expected to have systems in place to utilise patients' own drugs and enable self-administration, where appropriate. The Department does not hold results centrally for the medicines management framework. In line with Shifting the Balance of Power", SHAs performance manage this process.
	Further information about medicines management in hospitals is expected to be available in summer 2006 when the Healthcare Commission publishes findings from its acute hospital portfolio medicines management review.

Mental Health

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what social and cultural factors she has identified as having (a) an impact on and (b) a correlation with the incidence of mental illnesses; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department did not directly assess the social and cultural factors that may have an impact on and a correlation with the incidence of mental illnesses. However, the Office for National Statistics' (ONS's) report Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000" shows the associations between the presence of mental disorders and key socio-demographic and economic characteristics for those with different types of mental disorder. This report is available on ONS's website at www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/psychmorb.pdf.
	Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community" published by the National Centre for Social Research and the Royal Free and University College Medical School, explores the prevalence of mental disorders by demographic and socio-economic factors for the main ethnic minority groups in England. This report is available at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/02/40/34/04024034.pdf.
	The Social Exclusion Unit report, Mental Health and Social Exclusion", published by the Department in 2004, also identifies a range of factors that can affect the prevalence of mental health problems in the general population. This report is available at www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/page.asp?id=257.

Mental Health

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions on mental health grounds in each year since 1997 resulted from the use of (a) pharmaceutical drugs, (b) heroin, (c) cocaine, (d) cannabis, (e) alcohol, (f) nicotine, (g) stimulants and (h) hallucinogens.

Rosie Winterton: Information on admissions under mental illness specialties with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder due to psychoactive substance abuse or poisoning, and caused by drugs, in England between 1996–97 and 2004–05, is shown in the following table.
	
		Admissions under mental illness specialties with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder due to psychoactive substance abuse or poisoning, and caused by drugs, in England between 1996–97 and 2004–05
		
			  Data year 
			 Type of drug 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(50) 2004–05(50) 
		
		
			 Pharm drugs 460 430 510 510 380 330 400 380 400 
			 Heroin 2,690 3,680 3,940 3,620 3,620 3,520 3,310 3,120 3,110 
			 Cocaine 60 70 130 130 100 160 190 220 190 
			 Cannabis 460 430 530 510 490 580 590 710 710 
			 Alcohol 15,790 15,510 14,650 13,610 12,130 11,470 11,870 11,280 10,910 
			 Nicotine 0 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Stimulants 470 530 590 460 240 310 360 310 280 
			 Hallucinogen 140 110 130 120 70 80 70 80 70 
			 All 20,070 20,780 20,480 18,960 17,020 16,460 16,780 16,110 15,670 
		
	
	(50) The figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data and/or clinical error and are ungrossed, and all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health & Social Care Information Centre.

Mental Health

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to develop mental health telephone helpline services.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has committed funding of £5 million (2004–05 to 2006–07) and is actively supporting the implementation and development of an infrastructure to facilitate mental health helpline providers, working in partnership to achieve increased quality, efficiency, capacity, governance, choice and access in relation to the provision of helpline services 24 hours a day. Members of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (MHHP) are taking forward a detailed programme of work and progress can be reported in the following areas:
	Accredited training: facilitation of accredited training for mental health helpline workers through the Telephone Helplines Association.
	Mental Health Helplines Quality Standards (MHHQS): 25 helplines have received accreditation and work is progressing to accredit a further 12.
	Targeted Investment Resources: The MHHP has processed over 20 applications for targeted investment and approved 10 to date. Further applications are currently being processed.
	Telecommunications solution: Once established this telecommunications solution will enable callers to access mental health helplines 24 hours a day. It is anticipated that a preferred provider will be identified within six months.
	MHHP website: Negotiations are at an advanced stage with a preferred provider for the development and maintenance of a website, which will provide partnership updates on all areas of work and helpline services.
	Shared Services provision: Later this year work is due to commence on commissioning shared services for MHHP members.
	Mental health helplines conference: The MHHP will host a second national mental health helpline conference in May, to share its achievements with service users and key stakeholders.

Midwifery (North Wales)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwifery posts are vacant in each acute NHS trust in the North West.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 January 2006
	Information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows three month vacancies of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the North West by organisation.
	
		Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005 NHS three month vacancies of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the North West Government office region by organisation
		
			  All nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 
			  March 2005 September 2004 
			Staff in post 
			  Three month vacancy rate (percentage) Three month vacancy (number) Full-time equivalent Headcount 
		
		
			 England 1.7 6,930 400,291 511,607 
			  
			 North West Government Office Region Total 0.9 601 65,566 80,785 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority area Total 0.7 161 22,475 27,833 
			 Five Borough Partnership NHS Trust 1.5 19 1,191 1,336 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 1.0 11 1,138 1,328 
			 Bebington and West Wirral PCT 0.0 0 222 334 
			 Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT 0.0 0 265 363 
			 Cardiothoracic Centre—Liverpool NHS Trust 0.0 0 565 753 
			 Central Cheshire PCT 0.0 0 361 636 
			 Central Liverpool PCT 0.2 1 545 657 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 0.0 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust 1.7 21 1,194 1,365 
			 Cheshire West PCT 0.0 0 171 252 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 0.0 0 125 145 
			 Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust 2.7 24 867 1,056 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 0.1 1 738 1,079 
			 Eastern Cheshire PCT 1.0 2 197 319 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston PCT 0.8 2 186 260 
			 Halton PCT 0.3 1 205 282 
			 Knowsley PCT 0.4 1 254 324 
			 Liverpool Womens Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 593 730 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 0.1 3 2,143 2,357 
			 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust — 0 0 0 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.2 9 742 918 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.9 10 1,203 1,454 
			 North Liverpool PCT 1.0 2 205 283 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals University NHS Trust 0.9 20 2,218 2,557 
			 Royal Liverpool Childrens NHS Trust 0.0 0 845 1,013 
			 South Liverpool PCT 0.7 1 136 166 
			 South Sefton PCT 1.6 5 305 377 
			 Southport and Formby PCT 2.3 4 168 242 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 1,042 1,492 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 0.9 15 1,723 2,084 
			 St. Helens PCT 2.1 5 236 305 
			 Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust 0.0 0 254 288 
			 Warrington PCT 0.5 1 263 369 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 0.2 4 2,177 2,708 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority area Total 0.5 94 18,601 23,141 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 0.0 0 235 330 
			 Blackpool PCT 1.1 3 245 337 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 1.4 28 1,970 2,460 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 0.4 3 588 725 
			 Calderstones NHS Trust 0.0 0 467 484 
			 Carlisle and District PCT 0.3 1 162 255 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 0.0 0 371 446 
			 Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust — 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 0.0 0 1 1 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 2,554 3,038 
			 Eden Valley PCT 0.0 0 218 338 
			 Fylde PCT 0.0 0 164 216 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 1.6 9 528 688 
			 Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust — 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire Care NHS Trust 1.1 20 1,865 2,302 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 0.7 14 1,822 2,233 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 0.1 2 3,087 3,586 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT 0.0 0 1,328 1,712 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 0.2 2 1,536 2,001 
			 North Cumbria Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Trust 0.0 0 563 661 
			 Preston PCT 1.2 4 342 478 
			 West Cumbria PCT 2.1 5 237 376 
			 West Lancashire PCT 2.6 5 171 256 
			 Wyre PCT 0.0 0 149 218 
			 Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority area Total 1.4 345 24,489 29,811 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 0.0 0 436 580 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 0.1 2 1,608 1,855 
			 Bolton PCT 0.0 0 463 596 
			 Bolton Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust 4.2 66 1,532 1,668 
			 Bury PCT 7.1 20 261 333 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.4 36 2,567 2,949 
			 Central Manchester PCT 0.0 0 389 527 
			 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 2.4 12 486 599 
			 Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 0.0 0 2 2 
			 Greater Manchester SHA 0.0 0 36 36 
			 Heywood and Middleton PCT 1.8 2 110 128 
			 Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust 0.5 4 870 960 
			 North Manchester PCT 0.0 0 193 242 
			 Oldham PCT 0.0 0 305 344 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1.1 44 3,807 4,725 
			 Pennine Care NHS Trust 5.5 76 1,306 1,475 
			 Rochdale PCT 0.6 1 156 180 
			 Salford PCT 0.0 0 551 705 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 0.6 10 1,656 1,987 
			 South Manchester PCT 0.0 0 286 364 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 2.1 36 1,659 1,924 
			 Stockport NHS Foundation Trust 0.9 12 1,345 1,853 
			 Stockport PCT 0.5 2 407 582 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust 0.4 4 1,065 1,353 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 0.0 0 325 455 
			 Trafford Health care NHS Trust 0.4 3 799 1,081 
			 Trafford North PCT 0.0 0 127 171 
			 Trafford South PCT 0.0 0 126 205 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 0.9 15 1,617 1,932 
		
	
	Notes:
	Three month vacancy:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
	5. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place
	6. — zero.
	Staff in post:
	1. Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
	2. — zero.
	General:
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the aforementioned data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	4. Strategic health authority figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care.
	Sources:
	1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005.
	2. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's policy is on giving consent to the siting of telephone masts on NHS estates.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 26 January 2006
	National health service trusts and primary care trusts hold land in their own name and hence, these trusts do not require the consent of the Department when leasing property for the erection of telephone masts and associated base stations.

Multiple Sclerosis

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the clinical trials at the Atkinson Morley Wing of St George's Medical School in Tooting, South London for Aimspro to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis are expected to be completed.

Jane Kennedy: The trial at St George's was halted by the supplier of the product on 1 March 2005 and has not resumed. It is believed that only one patient had completed the trial by the time it was halted.

NHS Finance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 851 on NHS Finance, what extra time the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority has been given to sort out its financial deficit; and what help the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority (a) has had and (b) will have (i) from the NHS Bank and (ii) other NHS organisations to sort out its financial deficit.

Caroline Flint: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to deliver both overall financial balance for their local health communities and to ensure each and every body achieves financial balance. Thames Valley SHA agreed with the Department to deliver a balanced financial position across all its organisations for 2005–06, they have not been granted any extra time to resolve their financial problems. The Department's expectation is that this is met.
	The Thames Valley SHA has received no general support form the NHS Bank.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 145W, on NHS finance, what the total saving made by the NHS Litigation Authority was; and whether this saving is non-recurrent.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 January 2006
	The total saving against the NHS Litigation Authority's initial 2004–05 budget was £375 million. The reasons for the reduced budget requirement are ongoing and similar savings are anticipated against the 2005–06 initial budget requirement. Clinical negligence provision by definition cannot be forecast with complete accuracy in advance.

NHS Managers (Job Losses)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of job losses among NHS managers as a result of changes to primary care trusts; and what proportion of job losses will be from managers who are also clinicians.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2006
	Ministers have given the go-ahead for all 28 strategic health authorities to begin local consultations on boundary changes to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts. Consultations started on 14 December and will continue for a period of 14 weeks, until 22 March. Until any boundary changes are agreed, it is not possible to calculate the number of job losses.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency has spent purchasing gas in each financial year since 2000–01.

Jane Kennedy: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) has spent the following on gas in the last five financial years:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 4,554 
			 2001–02 21,231 
			 2002–03 11,177 
			 2003–04 6,915 
			 2004–05 6,938 
		
	
	Through the NHS PASA framework agreements trusts have spent the following amounts on gas purchases in each financial year since 2000–01:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 (51)63.1 
			 2001–02 (52)48.2 
			 2002–03 (52)71.2 
			 2003–04 (52)62.5 
			 2004–05 (52)79.1 
			 2005–06 (51)148.28 
		
	
	(51) Estimated
	(52) Actual
	In 2000–01, NHS PASA purchase of gas via the framework agreements accounted for approximately 70 per cent. of the national health service market. In 2005–06, NHS PASA agreements accounted for approximately 85 per cent. of the NHS market.

NHS Trusts (Board Members)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the board members of each NHS trust who have left their positions in the last three years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 January 2006
	Information about board members who have left the boards of national health service bodies is not available centrally. The NHS Appointments Commission has information about the appointment of non-executive board members since 2001, when it was established. The NHS Appointments Commission have been asked to write directly to the hon. Member regarding this inquiry.

Northiam and Broad Oak Surgeries

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Minister of State for NHS delivery will provide a written response following his meeting with the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle on 9 January on Northiam and Broad Oak surgeries.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 January 2006
	The Minister of State for Delivery, my noble Friend Lord Warner, provided a written response on 23 January 2006.

Palliative Care (Funding)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding of palliative care in the Eastern Region of England.

Rosie Winterton: There are five cancer networks in the East of England and each of the five cancer networks, with their constituent primary care trusts (PCTs), has set out a three-year investment strategy informed by a population needs assessment to identify the specialist palliative care requirement of their resident population. Against this assessment they have invested their allocation from the additional £50 million per annum for specialist palliative care which is now in PCT baselines. Having assessed their local priorities, PCTs can invest more.

Patient Deaths

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have died due to mistakes made by NHS staff in each year since 1997; and what proportion resulted in prosecutions.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not collected centrally in the form requested.
	Several estimates have been made of the number of patient safety incidents that occur each year, and the number of people who die as a result. For example, estimates that have been widely quoted are of 850,000 incidents per year and 40,000 deaths in England. The accuracy of these estimates, and of similar estimates from other countries, has been widely debated. Such estimates are likely to depend on a number of factors including the source of the original data and the definitions used in the original studies from which the estimates were derived.
	Many patients, particularly those in acute care settings, are critically ill, and so grading the degree of harm caused by an incident is not straightforward. For example, some deaths following incidents may have occurred as a result of the underlying illness rather than as a result of the incident.
	The Government is concerned about assuring and improving the safety of care for NHS patients. As part of our national health service patient safety programme, we established the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in July 2001 to improve the safety of NHS patient care. The NPSA has introduced a national reporting and learning system for patient safety incidents and issued a number of patient safety solutions to the NHS to improve the safety of care for areas of known risk.
	The reporting and learning system will, in time, enable us to understand the nature and extent of adverse events in the NHS more fully, and take action to prevent them being repeated. All NHS organisations in England and Wales are now reporting patient safety incidents to the national system.

Patient Safety

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for the (a) monitoring and (b) improvement of the safety of NHS patients who receive treatment from other healthcare providers.

Jane Kennedy: Health care provided for national health service patients by establishments outside the NHS is covered by the provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
	Those private healthcare establishments, including independent hospitals or clinics, or medical agencies providing services to NHS patients, that are subject to registration with, and inspection by, the Healthcare Commission under the Care Standards Act are required to comply with the Private and Voluntary Healthcare (England) Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for Independent Health Care published in 2002.
	Within this framework, the Healthcare Commission uses three essential suitability criteria to determine whether persons, organisations and services are suitable to operate:
	fitness of premises—that premises are fit for the purpose of the service;
	fitness of persons—that the persons running and managing the service, any person nominated as the responsible individual on behalf of an organisation, and any staff or other persons working for the service are fit to do so; and
	fitness of services and facilities—that the treatment, services and facilities (including policies and procedures) meet the requirements of the Private and Voluntary Healthcare Regulations, are suitable and safe and meet the needs of the service users as interpreted through the NMS for the service concerned.
	The registration process has been designed to assess each application against these criteria. The process includes interviews with the applicants, checks on their character and an inspection or pre-registration visit to the service.
	The registered provider is responsible for providing a safe and effective service. This includes having a health and safety policy and risk assessments in place and audit systems to assess the quality of care.
	The Healthcare Commission currently inspects all registered establishments annually. Establishments are inspected against the requirements of the 2001 regulations and the NMS. Inspections focus on perceived areas of risk in each establishment. Assessment managers prepare written reports setting out requirements, recommendations, and areas of concern identified during inspections. These reports, which are published and available on the Commission's website, include timetables for compliance with any specific requirements.
	In addition, health care provided for NHS patients, be it by the NHS or for the NHS by a non-NHS establishment, is reviewed by the Healthcare Commission under the 2003 Act, against the NHS standards—Standards for Better Health"—published by the Secretary of State in July 2004. As part of its review process, the Healthcare Commission ensures that services for NHS patients delivered from outside the NHS are commissioned against these standards, including those covering patient safety.
	Those services contracted directly by the Department from non-NHS organisations are commissioned using the framework of the Standards for Better Health" and where appropriate are reviewed against the Private and Voluntary Healthcare Regulations and NMS.

Primary Care Trusts

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Royal College of Nursing about her plans to give primary care trusts a solely commissioning role.

Liam Byrne: The Department has had several discussions with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on this issue, and a settlement has now been reached over judicial review proceedings that were issued by the RCN at the end of October 2005.
	A letter was issued from the Secretary of State on 8 December 2005 to the RCN General Secretary, Dr. Beverley Malone, which stated that:
	We do not have a policy requirement or timetable for PCTs to divest themselves of provision. We well support PCTs whether or not they divest themselves of service provision, provided that what is being offered is genuinely best for local patient care.
	We have tried to make this clear to the service, and as I said to Parliament on 25 October,
	District Nurses, health visitors and other staff delivering clinical services will continue to be employees by their PCT, unless and until the PCT decides otherwise" and any such decisions would be driven locally following our White Paper deliberations".
	In response to the letter, Dr. Beverly Malone has publicly stated:
	Issuing an application to be granted permission to apply for judicial review is not a step the RCN took lightly. We are, therefore, pleased a settlement has been agreed with the Department of Health and especially welcome the reassurance that there is no policy requirement or timetable for PCTs to divest themselves of provision.
	The RCN looks forward to working closely with the Government to ensure that nurses, and other health care workers, are involved in any decisions made about the future of the NHS."
	The RCN have been fully involved in discussions around the White Paper, which is due to be published at the end of January, and will set out a vision for the future of local health and care services that will address questions about how, when and in what settings primary care services are delivered.

Predictive Diallers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made from call centres in her Department in 2004–05 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of predictive diallers in departmental call centres.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has a single call centre, part of a customer service directorate. This centre does not use predictive dialling.

Prescriptions

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department made prior to the change in prescription charge regulations in April 2004 of the number of additional patients per year who would become entitled to free prescriptions; and how many patients have successfully claimed exemption from prescription charges as a result of that change.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 25 January 2006
	Prior to the change to the prescription charge regulations in April 2004, based on a sample of low income scheme claims, we estimated that around 29,000 claims would move from partial help, which gives no entitlement to free prescriptions, to entitlement to free prescriptions.
	For 2004–05, the latest year for which sample data are available, we estimate that around 45,000 low income scheme claims have resulted in entitlement to free prescriptions that would previously have resulted in partial help.

Prescriptions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reviews of the prescription charging system her Department has undertaken since 1997; what plans she has to conduct further reviews of the prescription charging system; whether she will place the copies of any review of prescription charges which has been undertaken since 1997 in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: An internal review of prescription charges was undertaken by departmental officials in conjunction with HM Treasury as part of the formulation of government policy for the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review. This work fed into the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review which was published by the HM Treasury. There are no plans to undertake a further review.

Prescriptions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department issues to (a) primary care trusts and (b) general practitioners on the issue of prescriptions to patients who pay for drugs to ensure that amounts issued by practices in prescriptions are monitored.

Jane Kennedy: The amounts of drugs prescribed or the duration of prescriptions is a decision reserved for the general practitioner who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient's care. The Department has not issued guidance on this issue but informal advice on prescription duration and drug wastage was included in Connect bulletin number 20 issued by the National Prescribing Centre in March 2000. A copy is available in the Library.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made on the impact of the private finance initiative arrangements on the reference cost index of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital National Health Service Trust has a reference cost index score of 103 for the year 2003–04. This shows that it is operating at costs 3 per cent. above the national average. An organisation with costs equal to the national average for this activity will score 100. Private finance initiative costs are apportioned to activity by the trusts themselves and not separately identified in reference costs submissions.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the basis is for the change in the discount rate on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust Finance Initiative deferred asset in 2005–06; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: This is a local matter. The South East London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has advised that following the HM Treasury's discount rate for the provisions for 3.5 per cent. and 2.2 per cent., the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust has applied this directive to the deferred asset created to transfer ownership of the private finance initiative hospital back to the national health service over the term of the contract. The SHA further advises that this interpretation of the guidance has recently been clarified by the Department. However, the trust is finding it difficult to contain the impact of the financial pressure resulting from this clarification which was published on 3 January with an effective date of 1 April 2005.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the consortia refinanced the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust Private Finance Initiative; and what estimate she has made of the financial effect on the trust if it had shared the reduced costs.

Jane Kennedy: This is a local matter. The South East London Strategic Health Authority has advised that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital scheme has not been refinanced. It was financed with an index-linked bond. The nature of bond deals make them very hard to refinance without incurring considerable additional costs. It is therefore unlikely that a refinancing will take place as the costs will normally outweigh the benefits.

Rheumatology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to safeguard the employment of specialist rheumatology nurses and practitioners during the reorganisation of primary care trusts.

Liam Byrne: The potential reorganisation of primary care trusts (PCTs) resulting from Commissioning a Patient-led NHS is currently out for local consultation. The Department has commissioned a human resource framework in support of these anticipated changes, which has been written in partnership with colleagues from the service and trade unions, through the Employers Organisation. This framework document sets out for national health service employers best practice and legal employment requirements needed to retain NHS staff during potential organisational restructuring.

Stoma Nurses

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any changes are planned in the provision of stoma nurses.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 January 2006
	The Department is currently undertaking a consultation about the possible changes to improve the arrangements for the provision of dressings, incontinence appliances, stoma appliances, chemical reagents and other appliances to primary and secondary care. Part of this consultation will review the sponsorship of nurses and manufacturers.
	The consultation closes on 23 January and we are not in a position at present to comment on the outcome.

Strategic Health Authorities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per patient treated in hospital was for each strategic health authority in England in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: There is no data collected centrally at individual patient level. Data are collected on a finished consultant episode basis and at national health service trust level, within which one or more hospitals will operate.

Thiomersal

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research her Department has undertaken into thiomersal; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  which paediatric vaccines contain mercury; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As with all medicinal products, vaccine safety is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with advice from independent experts. The United Kingdom's Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) and its expert working group on vaccine safety have thoroughly reviewed the safety of thiomersal-containing vaccines, including alleged links with neurodevelopmental disorders, and kept this under close review.
	In 2001, the CSM, now the Commission for Human Medicines, conducted a major review of the available evidence and has since then considered new data on a number of occasions as it has emerged. Following concerns in the United States of America (USA) about the possible toxicity of thiomersal-containing vaccines, the Department funded a study using the UK's general practice research database to investigate whether there is a relationship between the amount of thiomersal that an infant receives through vaccination at a young age and subsequent neurological disorders. Data from a study involving over a 100,000 UK children were considered by CSM in 2003. Further studies from Denmark involving almost half a million children and a study from the USA have also specifically investigated the suggested link between mercury-containing vaccines and autism. None of these studies have found any evidence of a causal association with subsequent neurodevelopment disorders, including autism.
	The advice of CSM stands that there is no evidence of harm from the very small quantities of thiomersal contained in some vaccines, with the exception of possible allergic reactions, typically skin rashes or local swelling at the site of injection. This view concurs with that of the World Health Organisation, the USA's Institute of Medicine and the European Medicines Agency. The balance of benefits and risks of thiomersal-containing vaccines remains overwhelmingly positive.
	None of the vaccines that are currently part of the recommended childhood immunisation programme contain mercury.

Thrombosis

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she had on raising thrombosis as a patient safety issue during the UK presidency of the European Union;
	(2)  whether the prevention of venous thromboembolism was raised at the Patient Safety Summit held in London on 28 to 30 November 2005.

Jane Kennedy: The prevention of venous thromboembolism was not raised as a specific patient safety issue during the 2005 UK presidency of the European Union.
	However, in response to the Health Committee report on The prevention of the Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in Hospitalised Patients" published last year, the Government have established an independent expert working group to help develop a comprehensive strategy for both treatment and prevention of VTE.
	The VTE expert group has been asked to report to Chief Medical Officer by summer 2006.

Tooth Decay

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what national targets for tooth decay her Department has set in the last five years; and what the performance against each target has been of each (a) primary care trust and (b) strategic health authority.

Rosie Winterton: The last national targets were set in 1994 and were for the period 1998–2003. Within this framework, it was for local NHS organisations to decide whether to set individual targets for their locality.
	For adults, the target was to reduce the percentage of dentate adults with at least one deep periodontal pocket (greater than 6 millimetres) from 17 per cent. to 10 per cent. The National Adult Dental Health Survey conducted in 1998 showed that 6 per cent. of people aged 45 to 64 had pockets over 6 mm in depth.
	For children, the targets were that 12-year-olds should have no more than an average of 1.0 teeth with decay experience, 70 per cent. of five-year-olds should have no decay experience and that five-year-olds should have no more than an average of 1.0 teeth with decay experience. The National Child Health Survey conducted in 2003 found that 12-year-olds in England had an average of 0.7 teeth with obvious decay experience, 59 per cent. of five-year-olds in England had no primary teeth with obvious decay experience and the average number of primary teeth with obvious decay in five-year-olds was 1.5 per cent.

Tuberculosis Vaccination

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent changes there have been to Government policy on the vaccination of children against tuberculosis; and what the present policy is.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 January 2006
	The changes to the bacille calmette guerin vaccination policy were given in the Chief Medical Officer letter to the health profession dated 6 July 2005. A copy of which is available in the Library.

Value for Money

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement on the Dimbleby programme that her Department is examining its budget to ensure value for money is achieved, if she will list the programme budgets which are under review.

Liam Byrne: It is usual practice to keep all central budgets under review as the financial year progresses as part of prudent financial management.

Vitamin D (Infants)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the optimum age at which breastfed babies will benefit from vitamin D drops; and which variety of vitamin D the Department recommends;
	(2)  if she will seek advice from the Food Standards Agency on the levels of vitamin D in various foods for infants and issue appropriate guidance.

Caroline Flint: The Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) recommends that breastfed infants under six months do not need vitamin supplements provided the mother had an adequate vitamin status during pregnancy. From age six months, infants receiving breast milk as their main drink should be given supplements of vitamins A and D. Between the ages of one to five years, vitamins A and D supplements should be given unless adequate vitamin status can be assured from a diverse diet containing vitamins A and D rich foods and from moderate exposure to sunlight.
	The Department provides free vitamin supplements to children aged under five under the welfare food scheme, and this supplement provides seven micrograms of vitamin D3 per day. COMA also recommends a supplement for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers of 10 mcg per day which we expect to provide under the healthy start scheme.
	The levels of vitamin D in various foods for infants are controlled by the Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Food for Infants and Young Children (England) Regulations 2004. These regulations set minimum and maximum levels for the vitamin D content of processed cereal-based foods for infants (0.25 to 0.75 per 100 kilojoules or 1 to 3 per 100 kilocalories).

Waiting Times

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) maximum, (b) average and (c) target waiting times were for (i) inpatient and (ii) first outpatient appointments for each strategic health authority in England in each quarter of the last eight years.

Liam Byrne: The Department collects waiting time data by time bands, that is, the number of patients who waited zero to four weeks; four to 13 weeks; 13 to 17 weeks; 17 to 21 weeks; 21 to 26 weeks; and over 26 weeks. It is not possible from those data to calculate precisely the longest any patient had to wait in any given quarter.
	Information on average waiting times for first outpatient appointment treatment since 2002–03, when strategic health authority were established, has been placed in the Library.
	Target maximum waiting times are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year end Maximum inpatient waiting time in months Maximum waiting time for a first outpatient appointment in months (weeks) 
		
		
			 1 April 2002 15 6 (26) 
			 1 April 2003 12 5 (21) 
			 1 April 2004 9 4 (17) 
			 End 2005 6 3 (13) 
			 End 2008  18 weeks for general practitioner referral to start of treatment

Westmorland and Lonsdale

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential, (b) nursing and (c) elderly mentally infirm (i) homes and (ii) places were available in Westmorland and Lonsdale in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (A) local authority, (B) private sector and (C) charity and voluntary providers; and what percentage of capacity in each sector was used in each year.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 January 2006
	Information on the number of care and nursing care homes and places was collected by the Department from 1997 to 2001. The data were collected by health authority and council with social services responsibility areas. This information is shown in tables 1 and 2.
	Table 1 shows the number of care homes and places in Cumbria for adults age 18 and over, by type of accommodation at 31 March 1997 to 2001. Table 2 shows the number of care homes and places for older people with mental health problems in Cumbria, by type of accommodation at 31 March 1997 to 2001. Data are not available for the percentage of capacity used each year.
	
		Table 1: Number of care homes and places in Cumbria(53) by type of accommodation at 31 March 1997 to 2001 -- Rounded
		
			  Residential homes Nursing homes(53)(54) 
			  LA Voluntary Private(54) Small(55) Independent 
		
		
			 Homes  
			 1997 50 30 120 70 (57)— 
			 1998 40 40 100 60 30 
			 1999 40 40 100 50 20 
			 2000 50 40 100 50 20 
			 2001 50 50 80 50 30 
			   
			 Places  
			 1997 1,300 320 2,150 190 (57)— 
			 1998 1,200 410 2,040 170 840 
			 1999 1,200 420 2,110 150 950 
			 2000 1,160 490 2,120 150 880 
			 2001 1,160 510 2,010 130 820 
		
	
	(53) Residential data relates to Cumbria council with Social Services responsibilities; nursing data relates North Cumbria health authority.
	(54) Includes residential places that are in dual registered homes.
	(55) Independent registered care homes with less than four places.
	(56) Data for nursing homes include nursing places in dual registered homes.
	(57) Data are not available.
	Source:
	Department of Health forms RA Part A, RAC5, KO36 and RH(N) Part A
	
		Table 2: Number of homes and places for older people with mental health problems(58) by type of accommodation at 31 March 1997 to 2001
		
			  LA Voluntary Private(59) Small(60) Nursing(61) 
		
		
			 Homes  
			 1997 1 0 4 4 (62)— 
			 1998 1 1 1 4 5 
			 1999 1 1 0 4 5 
			 2000 0 1 0 2 5 
			 2001 0 1 0 5 6 
			 Places  
			 1997 40 0 139 12 (62)— 
			 1998 40 40 19 10 190 
			 1999 40 40 0 10 190 
			 2000 0 40 0 6 205 
			 2001 0 40 0 12 205 
		
	
	(58) Data in this table are for primary client group 'older people with mental health problems'.
	(59) Includes residential places that are in dual registered homes.
	(60) Independent registered care homes with less than four places.
	(61) Data are for North Cumbria health authority.
	(62) Data are not available.
	Source:
	Department of Health forms RA Part A and RAC5
	No data is available for 2002.
	The Commission for Social Care Inspection produces data on the number of care homes and places registered as at 31 March each year, beginning with 2003. There are some minor definitional differences between this data and those for years up to 2001.
	Table 3 shows the number of care homes and places that were registered in Cumbria local authority (LA), of which Westmorland and Lonsdale is part, at 31 March for the years 2003 to 2005, for adults aged 18 and over. Table 4 shows the number of care homes and places for older people with mental health problems in Cumbria LA for the same period. Data are not available for the percentage of capacity used each year.
	Data for Westmoreland and Lonsdale constituency is not available separately.
	
		Table 3
		
			  As at 31 March 2005 As at 31 March 2004 As at 31 March 2003 
			 Establishment category Number of homes Maximum number of places Number of homes Maximum number of places Number of homes Maximum number of places 
		
		
			 Nursing   
			 Independent 30 1,219 29 1,109 31 1,138 
			 Other 1 23 1 23 1 23 
			 Voluntary 2 59 2 59 2 59 
			
			 Personal care   
			 Independent 78 1,708 81 1,730 106 1,952 
			 Local authority 36 1,055 43 1,080 0 0 
			 Voluntary 49 502 49 502 49 498 
			 Totals 196 4,566 205 4,503 189 3,670 
		
	
	
		Table 4
		
			 Establishment category: DE(E) As at 31 March 2005 As at 31 March 2004 As at 31 March 2003 
			 elderly mentally infirm Number of homes Maximum number of places Number of homes Maximum number of places Number of homes Maximum number of places 
		
		
			 Nursing   
			 Independent 16 748 13 570 11 484 
			
			 Personal Care   
			 Independent 47 1,212 39 985 32 796 
			 Local Authority 30 961 30 961 0 0 
			 Voluntary 4 133 4 133 4 133 
			 Totals 97 3,054 86 2,649 47 1,413 
		
	
	Source:
	Commission for Social Care and Inspection registration and inspection database

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol-related Crime

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related crimes were recorded in west Lancashire in each year since 2002.

Hazel Blears: From the information collected on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify those offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the data series.

Antisocial Behaviour

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new powers have been made available to (a) local councils and (b) police forces to counter antisocial behaviour since May 1997.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 24 January 2006
	Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 is the single biggest package of measures tackling antisocial behaviour. Powers that have been made available to the police and local authorities include: ASBOs, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, Crack House Closure Orders, Housing Injunctions, Parenting Orders/Contracts and Dispersal Orders.
	The Respect Action Plan proposes to broaden the approach to dealing with all aspects of antisocial behaviour through tackling its causes and building on strong enforcement measures available to police and local authorities. New powers will enable a range of agencies to deliver a robust response to antisocial behaviour.

Asylum/Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many principal applicants for asylum have been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) as a result of the family ILR exercise announced on 24 October 2003; how many of the dependants of principal applicants for asylum already in the UK have also been granted ILR; and how many dependants of principal applicants have subsequently been given leave to join them in the UK.

Tony McNulty: Up to and including 30 September 2005, 16,870 principal asylum applicants have been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under the Family ILR Exercise. This figure is included in the information on cases considered under the Family ILR exercise that is published quarterly. Copies are available from the Library and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	These figures will be updated on 28 February 2006 and will include data up to and including 31 December 2005.
	A further 41,525 dependants of these principal applicants have been granted indefinite leave to remain under the Family ILR Exercise. This information is based on internal management information and is not published within the official statistics.
	It is not possible to obtain figures for dependants who have subsequently been given leave to join existing families in the UK from internal management information.

Asylum/Immigration

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether immigration detention centre staff will be subject to the vetting and barring scheme recommended by the Bichard Report.

Tony McNulty: All Detainee Custody Officers (DCOs) at all Immigration Removal Centres are subject to enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks. In addition, all DCOs at those centres which accommodate families with children—Yarl's Wood, Tinsley House and Dungavel—receive regular training in child protection procedures. Legislative measures to establish the new Vetting and Barring Scheme will be introduced shortly. The scheme is intended to cover those working with or having contact with children and vulnerable adults, and this would include those working with detainees in immigration removal centres.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer the letter to him dated 5 December 2005 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Bakhtyar Ahmed.

Charles Clarke: I responded to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) on 25 January 2006.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 7 October 2005 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury about the case of Mr. A. N. T. of Aylesbury (reference N1041456; B23827/5) which was acknowledged on 14 October 2005.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the hon. Member's letter on 23 January.

Corruption

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are on the register of overseas corruption allegations held by the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and how many of these are being investigated.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The Register of Referrals is now maintained by the Serious Fraud Office. The Department has initial responsibility for assessing reports that a United Kingdom national or other entity has engaged in conduct outside the United Kingdom which may render that person or corporate entity liable for prosecution within the United Kingdom under sections 108 and 109 of the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001.
	Sixty-six cases have been entered on the register of which six are currently the subject of investigations by the Serious Fraud Office and four by other authorities.

Crime Statistics

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of crimes reported per day was in Lancashire in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the incidence of unreported crime in Lancashire over the same period.

Hazel Blears: The published data relate to the number of crimes recorded by the police in terms of financial years. For the year 2004–05, Lancashire police recorded 152,043 offences. This figure takes into account the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002. Therefore, figures after April 2002 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	Estimates of the proportion of crime that is reported to the police can be made at a national level using the British crime survey (BCS), but sample sizes are not sufficiently reliable to estimate reporting rates at the sub-national level. Forty-two per cent. of victims interviewed in the 2004–05 BCS said that the incident had been reported to the police or was known to them. This figure is similar to that for 2003–04 and shows that most crimes (58 per cent. of comparable crimes) are never reported to the police.

Crime Statistics

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of young offenders re-offended in (a) Lancashire and (b) west Lancashire constituency in each year since 2002.

Fiona Mactaggart: Re-offending rates are not available centrally on a sub-national basis.
	National reconviction rates—a commonly used proxy for reoffending—are published on the Home Office website. The data relate to young offenders who were discharged from prison, began a community sentence, or received a pre-court disposal in the first quarters of 2001 and 2002. (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr0805.pdf)

Crime Statistics

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes took place in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the tables. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction of the national crime recording standard (NCRS) in April 2002 was a 20 per cent. increase nationally in recorded violent crime in its first year.
	
		Table 1: Violent crime in the Hammersmith and Fulham crime and disorder reduction partnership area: 2000–01 and 2001–02
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 2000–01 5,498 
			 2001–02 5,845 
		
	
	Note:
	The national crime recording standard was introduced in April 2002. Because of this figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.
	
		Table 2: Violent crime in the Hammersmith and Fulham crime and disorder reduction partnership area:—2002–03 to 2004–05
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 2002–03 5,856 
			 2003–04 5,701 
			 2004–05 6,234 
		
	
	Note:
	The national crime recording standard was introduced in April 2002. Because of this figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.

Criminal Records Bureau

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent estimate is of the time taken to process (a) a standard disclosure and (b) an enhanced disclosure by the Criminal Records Bureau; and whether the average time taken has changed since the system was introduced.

Andy Burnham: The Criminal Records Bureau's published service standards are to process 93 per cent. of standard disclosure applications within two weeks and 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosure applications within four weeks. The performance achieved for standard disclosures for December 2005 was 99 per cent. with a 12 month average of 99.4 per cent.
	For enhanced disclosures, CRB are expected to complete their part of the checking process in 90 per cent. of cases in 12 days before referring these applications to local police forces for them to complete their part of the checking process against local intelligence databases.
	The CRB has consistently exceeded its targets in processing disclosures up to the point at which they are referred to police forces. In December 2005, the CRB processed 95.8 per cent. of valid enhanced applications to the police within six days of receipt. This has provided forces with considerably more time to complete their checks within the published service standard.
	The CRB has issued over eight million disclosures since the service was launched in March 2002 and more organisations have access to the service than ever before. Each week it is effectively dealing with over 55,000 disclosure applications. In general, the time taken to process disclosures has shortened, especially those that have been issued at the standard level, due to improvements introduced by the CRB.

Criminal Records Bureau

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to process Criminal Records Bureau applications was in (a) September 2005, (b) June 2005, (c) January 2005 and (d) the latest period for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The Criminal Records Bureau's performance is measured against a set of published service standards, which are to process 93 per cent. of standard disclosure applications within two weeks and 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosure applications within four weeks. Standard disclosures are processed entirely within the CRB's internal systems and require no referral to external agencies.
	The performance achieved for standard disclosures for January, June, September and December 2005 was 99 per cent., 98.7 per cent., 99.9 per cent. and 99.9 per cent. respectively, with a 12 month average of 99.4 per cent. Enhanced disclosures require a further level of check against local police intelligence databases and the CRB are expected to complete their part of the checking process in 90 per cent. of cases in 12 days before referring these applications to local police forces for them to complete their part of the checking process.
	The CRB has consistently exceeded its targets in processing disclosures up to the point at which they are referred to police forces. In January 2005, 95 per cent. of valid applications were progressed by the agency to the police within 10 days. In June, the CRB processed 95 per cent. of valid applications to the police within 11 days. During September, the CRB processed 95 per cent. of valid applications to the police within seven days and in December 2005, the CRB processed 95.8 per cent. of valid enhanced applications to the police within six days of receipt.
	This has provided forces with considerably more time to complete their checks within the published service standard.

Criminal Records Bureau

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the rules under which the Criminal Records Bureau can divulge former convictions, including spent convictions, to prospective employees are consistent with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  to what types of employer the Criminal Records Bureau is empowered to reveal the spent convictions of job applicants; in respect of what types of employment; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 sets out those occupations and positions exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (the Act). This provides that persons employing individuals in those occupations and positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act and may therefore ask an individual to reveal details of all convictions, both 'spent' and 'unspent', under what is termed as an 'exempted question'.
	The positions generally involve work with children and vulnerable adults, work involving the administration of justice and other employment of sufficient sensitivity to warrant a higher than normal level of criminal disclosure on public protection grounds. The Exceptions Order is updated periodically, ensuring that it reflects changes in risk to employers and the public.
	The Criminal Records Bureau operates under the Police Act 1997. This provides that when applying for one of the two higher level Disclosures, Standard and Enhanced, an application must be accompanied by a statement from a registered person that the Disclosure is required for the purpose of asking an 'exempted question'. Accordingly release of conviction information by the criminal Records Bureau is fully consistent with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Criminal Records Bureau

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration detention centre staff are (a) trained in child protection procedures and (b) subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Tony McNulty: All Detainee Custody Officers (DCOs) at all immigration removal centres are subject to enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks. In addition, all DCOs at those centres which accommodate families with children—Yarl's Wood, Tinsley House and Dungavel—receive regular training in child protection procedures.

Deportation

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charter flights have been used to deport illegal immigrants and overstayers in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) destination, (b) date of the flight and (c) cost.

Tony McNulty: The immigration and nationality directorate has been using charter flights to effect removals on a regular basis since March 2001. From that time there have been a total of 320 charter operations including a small number of flights operated with other EU member states. The flights have resulted in the removal from the UK of 12,956 individuals who had no permission to remain here. Full details of dates and destinations are provided in the following table.
	The cost of charter operations has been:
	
		
			  Cost of charter operation (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 1,968,025 
			 2003–04 1,226,972 
			 2004–05 1,779,204 
		
	
	Figures for 2001–02 are not available as they were not separated from other public expense removal costs.
	
		
			 Destination Charter totals Individuals 
		
		
			 Kosovo 233 9,785 
			 Romania 28 1,296 
			 Austria 5 75 
			 Athens 1 1 
			 Kinshasa 1 8 
			 Czech rep 15 793 
			 Poland 6 355 
			 Others 8 16 
			 Afghanistan 9 343 
			 Azerbaijan 5 90 
			 China 2 110 
			 Iraq 1 15 
			 Angola 1 18 
			 Vietnam 1 36 
			 Joint charter with Germany to Togo and Benin 1 4 
			 Joint charter with Italy to Nigeria 1 7 
			 Joint charter with Holland to Cameroon 2 4 
			 Total  12,956

DNA Profiles

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police are permitted to retain DNA profiles obtained with consent from (a) the victims of crimes and (b) witnesses to crimes; and (i) for how long and (ii) subject to what conditions these profiles may be retained.

Andy Burnham: A victim or witness to a crime may be asked to consent to provide the police with a DNA sample for elimination purposes as part of the investigation into that crime. They may also consent to their DNA profile being retained on the National DNA Database. In both cases, under section 63 of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as amended, their consent must be in writing. Once given, consent to the retention of their sample and DNA profile cannot be withdrawn.
	Samples and DNA profiles are normally retained until the individual's 100th birthday or until the notification of death and may only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or for the purposes of identifying a deceased person or body part.

DNA Profiles

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police may retain DNA profiles; and for how long these profiles may be retained.

Andy Burnham: Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as amended, the police may retain DNA samples taken from persons who have been arrested for, informed they will be reported for or charged with a recordable offence and detained in a police station. The police may also take and retain DNA samples from persons convicted of a recordable offence. The samples may only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or for the purposes of identifying a deceased person or body part.
	DNA samples are normally retained until the person is 100-years-old or notification of death.

Drug Dealers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional funding has been made available to police forces to deal with regional drug dealers; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Tackling regional drug dealers is part of core police business and funding for these operations is met from within general grant allocations. The Government has put significant extra resources into the police service in England and Wales over the last few years. On a like-for-like basis, Government grant and central spending on services for the police will have increased by 56 per cent. or almost £4 billion between 2000–01 and 2007–08.
	It is a matter for each chief constable and police authority to decide how best to deploy the available resources across the force area, taking into account operational priorities and objectives.
	We recognised that capacity in this area needed to be developed and in 2001 provided short-term funding of £6 million to three regional drugs units to develop expertise in tackling cross-regional drugs-markets, in order to disseminate the lessons learned. These were Operation Middle Market (West Midlands), Merseyside Middle Market Unit and Tarian Regional Taskforce (South Wales).
	The creation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency in April 2006 will provided enhanced capacity and support to local police forces in tackling serious organised crime at the regional and national level.
	Furthermore forthcoming police force restructuring will ensure that forces have the capacity, capability and resilience to effectively deal with regional drug dealers and similar criminality.

Early Release Scheme

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences have been committed by offenders released under the Government's early release scheme during periods they would otherwise have served in custody.

Fiona Mactaggart: Since the scheme was introduced in January 1999 and for the period ending 30 November 2005, 120,837 offenders have been placed on Home Detention Curfew. Of these, 4,341 offenders have been notified to the National Offender Management Service as having been either cautioned or convicted or awaiting prosecution for 7,506 offences committed while they were subject to the scheme.

Faith Communities

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the publications his Department has produced relating to faith communities since 1989.

Paul Goggins: Since 1989, five publications have been produced by the Home Office which relate in their entirety to faith communities. However, during this period there have also been numerous publications with occasional references to faith communities in a wider context.
	The five publications, focusing entirely on religious issues and listed on the Home Office Library catalogue are:
	1. Working Together: Co-operation between Government and Faith Communities
	Faith Communities Unit
	Home Office, 2004
	2. Religion in England and Wales: findings from the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey
	Home Office Research Study 274
	Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2004
	3. Tackling Religious Discrimination: practical implications for policy makers and legislators
	Home Office Research Study 221
	Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2001.
	4. Religious Discrimination in England and Wales
	Home Office Research Study 220
	Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 2001
	5. Information about Ministers of Religion
	Immigration and Nationality Directorate
	ISBN 1858935083
	Home Office, 2001

Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 987W, on festivals, how much funding his Department made available to fund the (a) Eid/Diwali celebration on 14 November and (b) the internal staff event on 8 November.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 19 December 2005
	The Home Office funded (a) the external Eid/Diwali celebration on 14 November and (b) the staff event held on 8 November to celebrate Ramadan and Eid at a cost of £8,933 and £7,557 respectively.

Forensic Practitioners (Complaints)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the transparency of the complaints procedure of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no responsibility for the procedures adopted by the Council for handling complaints. The Home Secretary has, therefore, not undertaken any formal assessment of the Council's procedures.

Fresh Talent Working in Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been received for the fresh talent working in Scotland scheme; how many of these (a) were successful, (b) were unsuccessful and (c) are yet to be considered, broken down by (i) country of origin of applicant and (ii) month of application.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 21 November 2005
	Applications have been received for the fresh talent: working in Scotland scheme at UK visas and the immigration nationality directorate (IND). Data to the end of December 2005 for the IND applications only are in the following table.
	
		FTWISS: Intake, grant, refuse and invalid cases: 22 June 2005 to31 December 2005
		
			  June July 
			  Intake Grant Refuse Invalid Intake Grant Refuse Invalid 
		
		
			 India 10 10 0 0 25 20 0 (63)— 
			 China (Peoples Republic of China) 5 5 0 0 25 10 0 0 
			 Nigeria (63)— (63)— 0 0 5 5 0 0 
			 Malaysia 0 0 0 0 5 (63)— 0 (63)— 
			 United States of America (63)— 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 
			 Cameroon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kenya 0 0 0 0 5 (63)— 0 0 
			 Pakistan 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 
			 Taiwan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other 5 5 0 0 30 15 0 0 
			 Grand Total 20 20 0 0 105 60 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  August September 
			  Intake Grant Refuse Invalid Intake Grant Refuse Invalid 
		
		
			 India 35 25 L 0 30 30 0 0 
			 China (Peoples Republic of China) 25 5 0 0 35 30 0 0 
			 Nigeria 15 10 0 0 5 5 (63)— (63)— 
			 Malaysia 10 10 0 0 10 5 0 0 
			 United States of America 5 5 0 (63)— 10 10 0 0 
			 Cameroon 5 (63)— 0 (63)— (63)— 0 0 0 
			 Kenya 5 0 0 0 (63)— 0 0 0 
			 Pakistan 5 (63)— 0 0 5 5 0 0 
			 Taiwan 5 0 0 0 (63)— 0 0 0 
			 Angola (63)— (63)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other 10 10 0 5 30 25 5 5 
			 Grand Total 120 65 0 5 125 110 5 5 
		
	
	
		
			  October November 
			  Intake Grant Refuse Invalid Intake Grant Refuse Invalid 
		
		
			 India 65 50 0 (63)— 95 80 0 0 
			 China (Peoples Republic of China) 55 45 0 (63)— 100 65 0 0 
			 Nigeria 25 20 0 0 40 35 0 (63)— 
			 Malaysia 10 10 (63)— 0 5 5 0 0 
			 United States of America 20 15 0 0 25 20 0 0 
			 Cameroon 0 (63)— 0 (63)— 5 (63)— 0 0 
			 Kenya 0 (63)— 0 0 (63)— (63)— 0 0 
			 Pakistan 10 10 0 0 10 5 0 (63)— 
			 Taiwan 0 0 0 0 5 (63)— 0 (63)— 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other 60 45 (63)— 45 50 15 0 40 
			 Grand Total 245 195 0 45 335 225 0 40 
		
	
	
		
			  December WiP 
			  Intake Grant Refuse Invalid at 1 December 2005 
		
		
			 India 65 65 0 0 25 
			 China (Peoples Republic of China) 115 95 0 0 85 
			 Nigeria 30 25 0 0 20 
			 Malaysia 5 5 0 0 (63)— 
			 United States of America 5 5 0 0 5 
			 Cameroon 0 0 0 0 (63)— 
			 Kenya (63)— (63)— 0 0 5 
			 Pakistan 20 15 0 0 10 
			 Taiwan (63)— 5 0 0 0 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other 25 50 5 0 30 
			 Grand Total 265 265 5 0 180 
		
	
	(63) Indicates 1 or 2.
	Notes:
	1. This information has not been quality assured, and is not a national statistic.
	2. It should be treated as provisional management information.
	3. Main applicant only.
	4. Charged and non charged applications.
	5. Report produced through GSMIS
	6. All figures are rounded to nearest 5.
	7. Statistics to be used publicly, or for other Government Departments or agencies, must be agreed with Immigration Research and Statistics Service (IRSS).
	8. Invalid figures include rejections and void cases

Gambling

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of (a) the proportion of all recorded crimes and (b) the total number of crimes which were related to internet gambling addiction in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Glass Attacks

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent incidents involving glasses or glass bottles were reported in West Lancashire in 2004–05 resulting in injuries.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally in the recorded crime series. Details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the data series.

Highways Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted during 2004 of an offence under section 131(2) of the Highways Act 1980, including that provision as applied by section 27(6) of the Countryside Act.

Paul Goggins: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of males and females proceeded against and found guilty at the magistrates courts for offences under a number of sections including section 131 of the Highways Act 1980, England and Wales, 2004 are given in the table. It is not possible to separately identify those offences under section 131 from offences under other sections collected within the same code group.
	
		Number of males and females proceeded against and found guilty at the magistrates courts for offences under certain sections of the Highways Act 1980, England and Wales 2004(64) -- Offence description: various offencesStatute: Highways Act 1980, SS 46, 73, 74, 79, 131, 134 & 136
		
			  2004 
			  Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Male 15 8 
			 Female 2 2 
		
	
	(64) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.

Historical Sex Abuse Investigations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the National Centre for Policing Excellence in relation to historical sex abuse investigations.

Paul Goggins: The National Centre for Policing Excellence (NCPE) was established on 1 April 2003. Its primary goal is professionalism of policing" through enhancement of the capabilities of those involved in tackling crime.
	Any number of forces may be investigating historic child abuse cases at any one time and, as individuals involved in such cases may have moved around the country, there was a chance that individuals could be investigated by more than one police force at the same time. To avoid this duplication the Association of Chief Police Officers asked the Serious Crime Analysis Section (SCAS), part of NCPE, to take over the Historical Institutional Child Abuse Database and keep it operating as long as required. A recent evaluation has indicated that there is still a requirement for such a database.
	Guidance on Investigating Serious Sexual Offences was published on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) by the National Centre for Policing Excellence in September 2005. This document touches on the investigation of historic child abuse cases.

House Building (Aylesbury)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of additional (a) police officers and (b) police stations that will be required as a result of the planned expansion of housing in Aylesbury Vale.

Hazel Blears: It is for the chief constable of the Thames Valley police, in consultation with the police authority, to determine how many police officers are deployed to the Buckinghamshire Basic Command Unit (BCU) (which includes Alesbury Vale), also whether there is a need for additional police facilities in the area. The police funding formula takes account of the relative needs of policing across England and Wales.

Illegal Fireworks

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal fireworks were seized in (a) West Lancashire, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not collect or hold figures on the number of seized illegal fireworks.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 594W.

Illegal Fireworks

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fines have been imposed by the police for offences relating to fireworks in (a) West Lancashire constituency, (b) Lancashire, (c) the North West and (d) England and Wales since the Fireworks Act 2003 came into force.

Hazel Blears: Offences under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 (made under section 11 of the Fireworks Act 2003) for breach of the national fireworks curfew, the illegal possession of category four fireworks and the possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework attract penalty notices for disorder, as well as the offence of throwing fireworks. The offences under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 were brought into the scheme with effect from 11 October 2004 and the offence of throwing fireworks has been included in the penalty notice for disorder scheme since it was introduced nationally during 2004.
	The numbers of penalty notices issued in Lancashire, the North West and England and Wales in 2004 and provisional data from January to September 2005 are provided in the table. It is not possible to separately identify Penalty Notices issued in West Lancashire constituency as data held centrally is not broken down to that level of detail.
	
		Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued for fireworks offences, Lancashire police force area, North West Region and England and Wales, 2004 and January-September 2005 provisional data
		
			  2004 January—September 2005 (provisional) 
			 Area Throwing fireworks Breach of fireworks curfew Possession of a Category 4 fireworks Possession by under 18 of adult firework Throwing fireworks Breach of fireworks curfew Possession of a Category 4 fireworks Possession by under 18 of adult firework 
		
		
			 Lancashire 11 1 1 — 14 2 — 1 
			 North West 82 1 1 1 49 2 6 7 
			 England and Wales 332 10 7 4 177 12 12 20 
		
	
	Source:
	RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

International Arrest Warrants

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to bring before the House his proposals to amend the law to prevent individuals from applying for international arrest warrants.

Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave her on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1363W.

Knives

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been found to be unlawfully carrying knives in public without good reason in each division of Staffordshire police force in each year since the introduction of the Knives Act 1997.

Hazel Blears: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people found guilty at all courts for carrying knives in public without good reason or lawful authority for Staffordshire police force area, 2002–04 are in the following table.
	It is not possible to identify those convictions by each division of Staffordshire police as the data are not collected at this level of detail.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under Criminal Justice Act 1988, Sec 139(65), Staffordshire police force area(66), 1997 to 2004
		
			 Offence description Statute Year Found guilty 
		
		
			 Having an article with Criminal Justice Act 1997 23 
			 blade or point in public 1988, Sec 139 as amended 1998 39 
			 place by Offensive Weapons 1999 42 
			  Act 1996, Sec 3 2000 24 
			   2001 33 
			   2002 68 
			   2003 63 
			   2004 69 
			 
			 Having an article with Criminal Justice Act 1988, 1997 — 
			 blade or point on school Sec 139A(1)(5)(a) added 1998 — 
			 premises by Offensive Weapons Act 1999 — 
			  1996, Sec4(1) 2000 — 
			   2001 1 
			   2002 — 
			   2003 — 
			   2004 2 
		
	
	(65) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(66) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Migrations Fund

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the size is of the migrations fund to help failed asylum seekers resettle in their own country; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The total resources available to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate Migration Fund for this financial year are £3.6 million. The Migration Fund was established in 2005 in response to the needs identified in IND's five year plan, Controlling our Borders: Making migration work for Britain". It is used to finance projects aimed at managing illegal migration and refugee protection in source and transit countries of concern to the UK. The Fund can also assist in other areas, such as in supporting returns, including those of failed asylum seekers. FCO have a parallel, but linked, Migration Fund with objectives similar to that of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate Fund.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a job description for regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Services structures.

Fiona Mactaggart: The job description for the post of regional offender manager was contained in the information pack sent to all prospective candidates in the summer of 2004. A copy of the information pack has been placed in the Library for Members to read.

National Offender Management Service

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the effectiveness of regional offender managers is to be assessed.

Fiona Mactaggart: The effectiveness of the regional offender managers will be assessed against the target to deliver a 5 per cent. reduction in re-offending by adults and young offenders by 2007–08 compared to 2002–03, leading to a 10 per cent. reduction by the end of the decade.

NHS Pension Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many early retirements there were under the NHS Pension Scheme (a) in 2000 and (b) in each year since 2002.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of early retirements in England and Wales for the financial years 2000 to 2005 is shown in the table. Early retirement includes ill health, redundancy and voluntary early retirement.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 7,766 
			 2000–01 7,556 
			 2001–02 7,419 
			 2002–03 6,511 
			 2003–04 7,583 
			 2004–05 6,806

Overseas Prisoners

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2005, Official Report, column 1094W, on overseas prisoners, whether the UK has a bilateral prisoner transfer agreement with the United States; whether not keeping records of transit applications are a standard of such agreements; whether transit applications are recorded electronically at any stage in the process; and by what means records of transit applications are disposed of once the transit has been completed.

Fiona Mactaggart: The United Kingdom and the United States are both parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. The Convention provides for the transfer of sentenced persons to continue serving their sentences in their country of nationality or one with which the sentenced person has close links. Transfer under the Convention requires the consent of both states involved and the prisoner concerned.
	Article 16 of the Convention enables contracting parties to transit through UK airports to another contracting party, or to a third party, where transfer of the prisoner has been agreed in accordance with the relevant international agreement. The Convention does not require that records of transit requests be kept. For the purposes of the transfer of sentence prisoners transit only takes place in the United Kingdom through Gatwick and Heathrow and it is the normal practice of states wishing to transit through Heathrow or Gatwick airports to fax a request to the National Offender Management Service. The request would normally contain details of the individual concerned, including sentence and offence details, the agreement under which transfer has been agreed, and flight details. The National Offender Management Service then makes the relevant arrangements for transit. Once transit has been completed the request is destroyed either by shredding or disposal in confidential waste. Secure disposal is used because requests contain personal information about the prisoner. Transit requests are not electronically recorded.

Parliamentary Questions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to question 39532, tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 19 December 2005.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 16 January 2006
	I replied to my right hon. Friend on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 1117W.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer Question 24259 tabled by the hon. Member for St. Ives.

Tony McNulty: I replied on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 1791W.

Police

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales have a dedicated major investigation team.

Hazel Blears: During the Protective Services Review of summer 2005, the extent to which police forces had a dedicated Major Incident Team (MIT) was assessed. The vast majority of police forces do have some dedicated staff to major crime investigation; however, generally this takes the form of a small, core office team, with the additional investigative staff being drawn from basic command unit's (BCUs), ordinarily the CID. It is believed that, at the time of the assessment, only 13 of the 43 forces of England and Wales had sufficient staff dedicated to MITs to prevent any abstractions from BCU.

Police

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police authorities will receive Government grant to cover (a) the full and (b) part of the cost of the proposals for police force restructuring; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 December 2005
	We will be considering grant arrangements for police authorities in the light of changes to police authority boundaries and of the way the new larger authorities might operate.
	Both Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA) have been invited to participate fully in a Restructuring Finance Working Group, which has been established to consider the financial aspects of reorganisation.
	I announced details of the provisional police funding settlement for 2006–07 and 2007–08 on 5 December and capital grant allocations on 13 January. I have set aside £50 million capital grant for 2006–07 and £75 million for 2007–08 to address prospective force amalgamations.

Police

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of (a) police officers and (b) the population of England and Wales is from ethnic minorities; and what the equivalent figures are for West Yorkshire.

Hazel Blears: The data requested for (a) police officers from ethnic minorities for each police force area in England and Wales are available from the 'Police Service Strength publication as at 31st March 2005'. This report was published on 25 July 2005 and is available in the Library and on:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1205.pdf
	The population of England and Wales that are from ethnic minorities is available from the 2001 Census published by the Office for National Statistics.

Police

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the manpower allocation of (a) police officers and (b) civilian police staff was in each London borough in each year since 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 2 November 2005 to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), Official Report, column 1117–20W which sets out the published information on police officer numbers for each London borough. Information on the number of police staff each in London borough operational command unit in the Metropolitan Police Service has not been published as it cannot be disaggregated from other police support staff groups. In 2004 the Metropolitan Police Service had 12,144 police staff, in March 2005 this was 13,127 and in September 2005 it was 13,437.

Police

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) civilian staff and (b) police officers are employed by Lancashire police force.

Hazel Blears: As at 30 September 2005, there were 1,734 full-time equivalent police staff (excludes designated officers, police community support officers and traffic wardens) and 3,602 full-time equivalent police officers in Lancashire.

Police

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in Caerphilly constituency; and how many there were two years ago.

Hazel Blears: During 2003–04 Caerphilly was merged with Blaenau Gwent. As at 31 March 2004, the new Basic Command Unit (BCU) had 456 police officers and as at 31 March 2005, Blaenau Gwent had 465 officers.
	It is not possible to separate Caerphilly from the rest of the BCU after 2003–04.

Police

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers from black or other ethnic minority backgrounds who resigned in each of the last three years stated discrimination from their colleagues as the reason for their resignation.

Hazel Blears: The reasons for officers resigning are not collected centrally.
	The total number of police officers from minority ethnic backgrounds who voluntarily resigned from the 43 forces in England and Wales was 123 as at March 2003, 163 as at March 2004 and 125 as at March 2005.

Police

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in England and Wales routinely issue in-car satellite navigation systems for use in patrol cars.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally.

Police

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact he expects police force amalgamations to have on crime reduction.

Hazel Blears: The objective of the restructuring police forces is to enhance the capability and capacity of forces to deal with crime at all levels from cross border, serious and organised crime to local volume crime and disorder. Strategic forces should have sufficient critical mass to maintain neighbourhood policing teams without having to abstract officers from communities to deal with major incidents or investigations elsewhere.

Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on amending police regulations to enable serving officers to participate in the selection process for parliamentary candidates; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: No representations have been received.

Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police regulations allow serving officers to participate in the activities of political parties; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003 states that
	A member of a police force shall at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of his duties or which is likely to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere; and in particular a member of a police force shall not take any active part in polities".

Prisons

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding the Government provides for support services for prisoners' families.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Government provides support services for prisoners' families in a variety of ways ranging from grants to charities, investing in partnerships, and support provided within prisons themselves. There is no central account which specifically identifies all these resources. The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme for 2004–05 costs £1,870,386 (less staff and running costs.) This scheme provides help with travel costs for close relatives and partners on low incomes.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide career development opportunities for prison officers interested in assisting in the delivery of (a) prison education and (b) effective re-settlement; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Education for offenders in custody is provided under contract. The public sector Prison Service is not normally involved in the direct employment of teachers who deliver this provision. The service is currently developing a new suite of offender management courses. They will be accessible to all appropriate staff who wish to deliver resettlement work.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase (a) public and (b) private sector prison capacity in each of the next five years, broken down by (i) category of establishment and (ii) security status; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Additional prison places are being built under an ongoing funded building programme at existing prisons and will increase total capacity to around 80,400 by 2007. This includes the 1,300 additional places announced by the Home Secretary in September 2004 as well as the completion of an earlier building programme. Additional places will become available at a number of public and private sector prisons in the adult male closed estate. Details of these places are set out in the following table.
	All these places are at adult male training or Local prisons and are Category B or C.
	
		
			 Prisons 2006 2007 
		
		
			 Public sector 880 640 
			 Private sector 0 300

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working days were recorded lost in each prison in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table details the total number of working days lost due to sickness absence within each public sector Prison Service establishment in 2001 and 2005, the last year for which figures are available. Data for 2001 have been adjusted to reflect the amount of under-reporting estimated as high as 8.7 per cent. by the National Audit Office at that time. Data for 2005 remain provisional. Information on working days lost, broken down to the level of establishment, is not available for 1997.
	It is estimated that the total number of working days lost across the public sector Prison Service in 1997 was 634,000 compared to 642,000 in 2001 and 609,000 in 2005.
	Information relating to privately managed prisons is not available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Number of working days lost in each public sector prison establishment in 2001 and 2005
		
			 Establishment 2001(67) 2005 
		
		
			 Acklington 4,656 5,170 
			 Albany 3,119 2,894 
			 Ashwell 3,026 2,270 
			 Askham Grange 872 968 
			 Aylesbury 7,459 4,336 
			 Bedford 4,761 2,246 
			 Belmarsh 18,862 12,334 
			 Birmingham 9,652 10,438 
			 Blakenhurst 2,528 5,236 
			 Blantyre House 825 586 
			 Blundeston 2,429 4,201 
			 Brinsford 4,103 4,464 
			 Bristol 9,067 8,432 
			 Brixton 13,527 6,924 
			 Brockhill 3,577 3,428 
			 Buckley Hall 2,389 3,472 
			 Bullingdon 5,958 5,011 
			 Bullwood Hall 2,592 1,906 
			 Camp Hill 3,286 3,396 
			 Canterbury 3,351 2,087 
			 Cardiff 5,012 4,252 
			 Castington 6,116 4,349 
			 Channings Wood 4,675 5,081 
			 Chelmsford 4,882 3,003 
			 Coldingley 2,298 2,264 
			 Cookham Wood 1,563 1,905 
			 Dartmoor 4,768 4,797 
			 Deerbolt 2,696 4,671 
			 Dorchester 1,745 2,686 
			 Dover 3,121 4,249 
			 Downview 3,376 3,241 
			 Drake Hall 2,327 2,282 
			 Durham 9,760 8,636 
			 East Sutton Park 1,066 884 
			 Eastwood Park 5,221 3,849 
			 Edmunds Hill 1,147 3,017 
			 Elmley 5,500 5,983 
			 Erlestoke 2,579 3,070 
			 Everthorpe 3,195 3,042 
			 Exeter 5,148 4,980 
			 Featherstone 4,857 4,671 
			 Feltham 10,461 11,894 
			 Ford 2,683 2,659 
			 Foston Hall 1,655 3,092 
			 Frankland 9,941 13,262 
			 Full Sutton 9,938 8,547 
			 Garth 6,603 5,887 
			 Gartree 2,886 3,409 
			 Glen Parva 5,330 5,136 
			 Gloucester 3,986 2,434 
			 Grendon 5,457 4,020 
			 Guys Marsh 3,672 3,646 
			 Haslar 1,267 1,151 
			 Haverigg 3,872 5,177 
			 Hewell Grange 769 1,044 
			 High Down 8,357 5,132 
			 Highpoint 3,539 5,649 
			 Hindley 8,234 8,691 
			 Hollesley Bay 4,365 818 
			 Holloway 11,891 7,162 
			 Holme House 5,218 7,047 
			 HQ 18,427 16,701 
			 Hull 3,625 6,579 
			 Huntercombe 4,874 4,247 
			 Kingston 2,256 1,009 
			 Kirkham 3,672 2,621 
			 Kirklevington Grange 671 1,303 
			 Lancaster 2,018 2,006 
			 Lancaster Farms 5,676 5,109 
			 Latchmere House 1,014 1,031 
			 Leeds 11,686 10,693 
			 Leicester 3,375 2,489 
			 Lewes 4,457 4,042 
			 Leyhill 2,718 3,721 
			 Lincoln 4,594 4,486 
			 Lindholme 4,215 5,568 
			 Littlehey 4,975 2,919 
			 Liverpool 12,989 8,384 
			 Long Lartin 8,568 5,667 
			 Low Newton 2,484 3,894 
			 Maidstone 5,455 5,399 
			 Manchester 13,413 8,942 
			 Moorland 7,715 6,779 
			 Morton Hall 1,576 2,004 
			 New Hall 3,814 7,149 
			 North Sea Camp 1,446 2,080 
			 Northallerton 2,627 1,784 
			 Norwich 5,661 5,139 
			 Nottingham 3,214 4,976 
			 Onley 8,297 8,348 
			 Parkhurst 5,404 5,266 
			 Pentonville 9,426 10,396 
			 Portland 4,648 4,901 
			 Preston 5,796 4,175 
			 Ranby 5,530 5,716 
			 Reading 3,062 2,831 
			 Risley 8,676 8,519 
			 Rochester 3,876 4,003 
			 Send 1,829 1,812 
			 Shepton Mallet 1,196 1,674 
			 Shrewsbury 3,143 1,803 
			 Stafford 5,095 4,306 
			 Standford Hill 2,314 2,692 
			 Stocken 2,217 4,094 
			 Stoke Heath 7,682 7,334 
			 Styal 5,175 4,625 
			 Sudbury 1,708 1,736 
			 Swaleside 5,868 4,437 
			 Swansea 2,982 3,490 
			 Swinfen Hall 1,840 4,418 
			 The Mount 3,449 3,546 
			 The Verne 2,583 3,314 
			 Thorn Cross 2,699 2,731 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1,533 1,860 
			 Wakefield 8,439 8,108 
			 Wandsworth 12,094 9,852 
			 Warren Hill — 2,903 
			 Wayland 2,742 2,439 
			 Wealstun 3,735 5,187 
			 Weare 2,643 2,040 
			 Wellingborough 3,702 5,139 
			 Wellington 2,648 3,111 
			 Wetherby 3,912 3,608 
			 Whatton 1,634 2,104 
			 Whitemoor 16,011 11,249 
			 Winchester 5,124 4,659 
			 Woodhill 11,752 12,346 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 11,035 6,577 
			 Wymott 6,189 8,416 
			 Prison Service total 642,118 609,054 
		
	
	(67) Including adjusted for estimated under-recording.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratios of (a) prison officers and (b) all prison staff to inmates were in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the ratio of officers (including prison officers, senior officers and principal officers) to prisoners and total staff to prisoners is contained in the following table. This information relates to prisoners and staff within the public sector Prison Service only. The information shows a snapshot of ratios on the 31 March each year, as well as the latest available information. Information relating to privately managed prisons is not available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Officer/prisoner ratio All staff/prisoner ratio 
		
		
			 31 March 1997 1:2.46 1:1.43 
			 31 March 2001 1:2.51 1:1.36 
			 31 March 2005 1:2.80 1:1.40 
			 31 December 2005 1:2.77 1:1.40

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many individuals have served as governor in each prison since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average tenure has been since 1997 for governors in (a) each prison, (b) each region and (c) England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The table contains information on the number of individuals who have held the position of governor in-charge in each public sector Prison Service establishment since 1997 and the average length of tenure over the same period. Temporary appointments are excluded from the figures. The average length of tenure of in-charge governors within the public sector Prison Service was two years 10 months.
	Information on contracted prison is not available centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Number of prison governors in charge of each public sector prison establishment and the average length of tenure
		
			 Area (region) Establishment Number of in-charge governors since 1 January 1997 Average length of tenure(68) 
		
		
			 High Security Prisons Belmarsh 4 2.5 
			  Frankland 3 3.5 
			  Full Sutton 5 1.9 
			  Long Lartin 3 3.6 
			  Manchester 5 2.0 
			  Wakefield 4 2.5 
			  Whitemoor 5 2.3 
			  Woodhill 4 2.8 
			 High Security Prisons Average 33 2.5 
			 
			 East Midlands Ashwell 4 2.6 
			  Foston Hall 1 9.0 
			  Gartree 5 2.8 
			  Glen Parva 4 2.8 
			  Leicester 5 2.1 
			  Lincoln 5 2.7 
			  Morton Hall 4 2.6 
			  North Sea Camp 3 3.7 
			  Nottingham 5 2.6 
			  Onley 5 2.5 
			  Ranby 4 2.3 
			  Stocken 4 2.4 
			  Sudbury 2 6.8 
			  Wellingborough 4 3.5 
			  Whatton 4 2.8 
			 East Midlands Average  59 2.9 
			 Eastern Bedford 5 2.3 
			  Blundeston 3 4.3 
			  Bullwood Hall 4 2.3 
			  Chelmsford 5 1.9 
			  Edmunds Hill(69) 2 2.5 
			  Highpoint 4 2.3 
			  Hollesley Bay 5 1.8 
			  Littlehey 4 3.5 
			  Norwich 5 2.1 
			  The Mount 3 3.1 
			  Warren Hill(70) 1 2.5 
			  Wayland 4 2.4 
			 Eastern Average  45 2.5 
			 
			 Kent Blantyre House 4 2.4 
			  Canterbury 3 3.5 
			  Cookham Wood 3 3.0 
			  Dover 3 3.0 
			  East Sutton Park 3 4.1 
			  Elmley 3 3.4 
			  Maidstone 3 3.0 
			  Rochester 5 2.5 
			  Standford Hill 4 3.6 
			  Swaleside 4 2.3 
			 Kent Average  35 3.0 
			 
			 London Brixton 5 2.9 
			  Feltham 5 1.8 
			  Holloway 4 2.5 
			  Latchmere House 3 3.4 
			  Pentonville 3 3.1 
			  Wandsworth 5 3.4 
			  Wormwood Scrubs 4 2.4 
			 London Average  29 2.7 
			 
			 North East Acklington 5 2.0 
			  Castington 4 3.2 
			  Deerbolt 3 3.5 
			  Durham 3 3.3 
			  Holme House 3 3.8 
			  Kirklevington Grange 3 3.9 
			  Low Newton 4 2.6 
			 North East Average  25 3.0 
			 
			 North West Buckley Hall(71) 2 2.8 
			  Garth 3 4.6 
			  Haverigg 4 3.8 
			  Hindley 5 2.0 
			  Kirkham 3 4.7 
			  Lancaster 5 3.0 
			  Lancaster Farms 5 2.6 
			  Liverpool 7 1.5 
			  Preston 4 2.5 
			  Risley 5 2.0 
			  Styal 3 3.8 
			  Thorn Cross 7 1.6 
			  Wymott 3 3.0 
			 North West Average  56 2.7 
			 
			 South West Bristol 6 2.2 
			  Channings Wood 4 2.5 
			  Dartmoor 4 2.9 
			  Dorchester 3 3.1 
			  Eastwood Park 2 4.9 
			  Erlestoke 6 1.5 
			  Exeter 5 2.5 
			  Gloucester 3 3.4 
			  Guys Marsh 4 2.8 
			  Leyhill 2 6.4 
			  Portland 3 3.0 
			  Shepton Mallet 4 3.2 
			  The Verne 3 4.2 
			  Weare 4 2.2 
			 South West Average  53 2.9 
			 Surrey and Sussex Coldingley 5 2.2 
			  Downview 6 2.1 
			  Ford 3 3.1 
			  High Down 4 2.4 
			  Lewes 3 4.3 
			  Send 4 2.9 
			 Surrey and Sussex Average 25 2.7 
			 
			 Thames Valley and Albany 3 3.0 
			 Hampshire Aylesbury 4 2.4 
			  Bullingdon 3 3.2 
			  Camp Hill 4 2.3 
			  Grendon 3 4.7 
			  Haslar 7 1.7 
			  Huntercombe 4 3.0 
			  Kingston 3 3.0 
			  Parkhurst 3 3.7 
			  Reading 5 2.1 
			  Winchester 5 2.8 
			 Thames Valley and Hampshire Total 43 2.8 
			 
			 Wales Cardiff 4 2.5 
			  Swansea 5 3.0 
			  Usk/Prescoed 5 2.6 
			 Wales Average  14 2.7 
			 
			 West Midlands Birmingham 3 3.8 
			  Blakenhurst(72) 2 2.2 
			  Brinsford 4 3.0 
			  Brockhill 6 1.8 
			  Drake Hall 3 3.8 
			  Featherstone 3 3.3 
			  Hewell Grange 3 5.6 
			  Shrewsbury 4 2.5 
			  Stafford 3 4.2 
			  Stoke Heath 4 3.7 
			  Swinfen Hall 2 5.3 
			  Werrington 5 2.6 
			 West Midlands Average  42 3.3 
			 
			 Yorkshire and Askham Grange 4 3.7 
			 Humberside Everthorpe 4 3.3 
			  Hull 4 2.5 
			  Leeds 4 3.3 
			  Lindholme 4 2.6 
			  Moorland 3 3.1 
			  New Hall 5 3.0 
			  Northallerton 3 4.2 
			  Wealstun 4 2.7 
			  Wetherby 5 2.1 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Average 40 3.0 
			 Public Sector Prison Service Average 499 2.8 
		
	
	(68) Includes time spent by governors in post at 1 January 1997, leading up to that date.
	(69) Edmunds Hill was incorporated within Highpoint until November 2000.
	(70) Warren Hill was incorporated within Hollesley Bay until January 2003.
	(71) Buckley Hall was a privately managed prison until June 2000.
	(72) Blakenhurst was a privately managed prison until August 2001.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of inmates at each prison (a) had access to and (b) enrolled in (i) recognised vocational education courses, (ii) further education courses, (iii) higher education courses and (iv) basic literacy and numeracy skills courses in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: All offenders in custody are encouraged to access learning and skills provision.
	With the exception of higher education, figures on the numbers enrolled in formal education and training schemes are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The latter data will however become increasingly available through Learning and Skills Council management information arrangements as they take responsibility for planning and funding offender learning and skills during 2006.
	The following table shows the number of participants in undergraduate courses and openings courses directly funded by the Offenders Learning and Skills Unit via the Prisoners' Education Trust between April 2004 and March 2005.
	
		
			 Establishment Participants in openings courses Participants in undergraduate courses (mainly first level courses) 
		
		
			 HMP Acklington 3 4 
			 HMP Albany 6 10 
			 HMP Ashwell 1 4 
			 HMP Belmarsh — 5 
			 HMP Birmingham 2 7 
			 HMP Blakenhurst — 2 
			 HMP Blundeston 1 7 
			 HMP Bristol 2 1 
			 HMP Brixton 1 8 
			 HMP Bullingdon 6 4 
			 HMP Camp Hill 3 3 
			 HMP Canterbury 3 — 
			 HMP Channings Wood — 2 
			 HMP Chelmsford — 2 
			 HMP Coldingley 3 7 
			 HMP Dartmoor 7 8 
			 HMP Dovegate 7 16 
			 HMP Downview — 5 
			 HMP Drake Hall 3 4 
			 HMP Durham 1 1 
			 HMP Elmley — 3 
			 HMP Erlestoke 2 1 
			 HMP Featherstone — 2 
			 HMP Ford 1 — 
			 HMP Foston Hall — 7 
			 HMP Frankland 1 3 
			 HMP Full Sutton — 8 
			 HMP Garth 5 13 
			 HMP Gartree 1 5 
			 HMP Grendon 1 — 
			 HMP Haverigg 2 2 
			 HMP High Down — 2 
			 HMP Highpoint 1 1 
			 HMP Holloway 2 4 
			 HMP Holme House 23 4 
			 HMP Kingston 8 3 
			 HMP Kirkham 2 — 
			 HMP Kirklevington Grange — 3 
			 HMP Lancaster Farms — 1 
			 HMP Latchmere House — 1 
			 HMP Lewes — 1 
			 HMP Leyhill 1 1 
			 HMP Lincoln — 1 
			 HMP Littlehey 2 5 
			 HMP Liverpool 1 1 
			 HMP Long Lartin 20 11 
			 HMP Lowdham Grange — 11 
			 HMP Maidstone 2 2 
			 HMP Manchester 1 5 
			 HMP Moorland 35 10 
			 HMP Morton Hall — 1 
			 HMP Norwich 4 1 
			 HMP Parkhurst 1 19 
			 HMP Risley 8 1 
			 HMP Rye Hill 3 5 
			 HMP Send 4 8 
			 HMP Spring Hill 2 — 
			 HMP Stafford — 3 
			 HMP Standford Hill — 2 
			 HMP Stocken — 2 
			 HMP Swaleside 1 5 
			 HMP The Mount 2 7 
			 HMP The Verne 4 16 
			 HMP The Wolds — 2 
			 HMP Usk 1 4 
			 HMP Wakefield — 1 
			 HMP Wandsworth 18 30 
			 HMP Wayland 1 3 
			 HMP Wealstun 3 4 
			 HMP Wellingborough 10 1 
			 HMP Whatton 7 — 
			 HMP Whitemoor — 4 
			 HMP Woodhill 1 3 
			 HMP Wormwood Scrubs — 5 
			 HMP Wymott 15 1 
			 HMP/RC Cardiff 1 2 
			 HMP/YOI Askham Grange — 1 
			 HMP/YOI Cookham Wood 4 — 
			 HMP/YOI East Sutton Park — 2 
			 HMP/YOI Guys Marsh 2 4 
			 HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay — 1 
			 HMP/YOI Low Newton 1 7 
			 HMYOI Deerbolt — 1 
			 HMYOI Frescoed — 3 
			 HMYOI Stoke Heath 19 — 
			 HMYOI Swinfen Hall — 1

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of prison education on levels of offender recidivism; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Government published on 15 December 2005 a Green Paper called 'Reducing Re-Offending through Skills and Employment' (Cm 6702). The Green Paper outlined the Government's assessment of the importance of skills and employment as part of a broad package of interventions to reduce re-offending.
	Evidence suggests that employment and a reduction in re-offending are linked and that those with higher skills, for example level two in the National Qualifications Framework, are more likely to be in employment than those without. The Home Office's longitudinal study—Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction—will assess the impact of a range of interventions, including education.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons have intensive rehabilitation programmes for drugs; what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the programmes; what plans he has to expand the programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Prisons running intensive drug rehabilitation programmes are shown in the following list.. There are currently no plans to expand the delivery of drug treatment programmes. Research evidence shows that it is possible to achieve up to a 10 per cent. decrease in the level of expected re-offending but this can only realistically be achieved where effective through-care arrangements exist and timely community after-care has been made available.
	Acklington
	Altcourse
	Ashwell
	Aylesbury
	Bedford
	Birmingham
	Blakenhurst
	Blundeston
	Bristol
	Brixton
	Bullingdon
	Bullwood Hall
	Camp Hill
	Canterbury
	Cardiff Hull
	Castington
	Channings Wood
	Chelmsford
	Coldingley
	Cookham Wood
	Dartmoor
	Deerbolt
	Doncaster
	Dorchester
	Drake Hall
	Durham
	Eastwood Park
	Edmunds Hill
	Elmley
	Erlestoke
	Everthorpe
	Exeter
	Featherstone
	Ford
	Forest Bank
	Frankland
	Full Sutton
	Garth
	Gartree
	Glen Parva
	Gloucester
	Guys Marsh
	Haverigg
	Highdown
	Highpoint
	Hindley
	Hollesley Bay
	Holloway
	Holme House
	Hull
	Kingston
	Kirkham
	Lancaster Farms
	L'caster Castle
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lewes
	Leyhill
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Littlehay
	Liverpool
	Long Lartin
	Low Newton
	Maidstone
	Manchester
	Moorland closed
	New Hall
	North Sea Camp
	Northallerton
	Norwich
	Nottingham
	Onley
	Parc
	Parkhurst
	Pentonville
	Portland
	Preston
	Ranby
	Reading
	Risley
	Rochester
	Send
	Stafford
	Stocken
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Swaleside
	Swansea
	Swinfen Hall
	The Mount
	The Verne
	Thorn Cross
	Wakefield
	Wandsworth
	Wayland
	Wealstun
	Wellingborough
	Whitemoor
	Winchester
	Woodhill
	Wormwood Scrubbs
	Wymott

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison dogs have been in service in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table details licensed prison dogs in the Prison Service since 1997.
	
		Table showing the number of prison dogs in the Prison Service since 1997
		
			  Patrol dogs Pro-active AES Passive 
		
		
			 1997 449 172 75 09 
			 1998 462 178 78 34 
			 1999 462 178 78 34 
			 2000 462 195 78 121 
			 2001 410 208 60 149 
			 2002 381 221 55 179 
			 2003 301 221 43 183 
			 2004 314 236 44 203 
			 2005 267 238 40 224 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A patrol dog is a German Shepherd dog used mainly in high security prisons to provide perimeter protection against escape attempts or concerted prisoner indiscipline.
	2. A proactive dog is generally one of the gundog breed and is trained to search cells, vehicles and other areas for hidden controlled drugs or drug-contaminated items.
	3. An arms and explosive search (AES) dog is generally one of the gundog breeds. It is trained to search cells, areas, vehicles and other areas for hidden firearms, explosives and associated components.
	4. A passive drug dog is generally one of the gundog breeds and is trained to search individual or groups of people usually entering a prison for hidden controlled drugs on their person.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the work of prison dogs; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Three reports have been undertaken over the last 10 years, with a further report due later this year on the use of dogs in the high security estate. The number of dog sections has fallen, as high risk prisoners have been concentrated in eight high security prisons. The introduction of drug dogs began in about 1993 and has been expanded to each establishment within the service.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison dogs are designated as (a) passive and (b) pro-active in the detection of drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Currently there are 203-licensed passive and 236 pro-active drug dogs in use in the Prison Service.

Prisons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of options other than the private finance initiative for the construction of new prisons.

Fiona Mactaggart: There are no plans to build any new prisons at present. No procurement options have been ruled out.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what forecast he has made of the level of the prison population in each of the last three years; and what the actual level was in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: Projections of the prison population are made on the basis of several possible future scenarios (a range of likely changes in sentencing and effects of new legislation, etc.) and are regularly updated. All published projections are available on the Home Office website. Taking the most recent projection for June in each case: in 2003 the projections ranged from 73,600 to 75,800 and the actual value was 73,700; in 2004 the projections ranged from 79,500 to 85,100 and the actual value was 74,500; in 2005 the projections ranged from 76,100 to 76,600 and the actual value was 76,200.

Prisons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who was responsible for the independent assessment of the performance test of prisons on the Isle of Sheppey.

Fiona Mactaggart: The proposals made by Her Majesty's Prison Service in respect of the performance improvement test of the prisons on the Isle of Sheppey were independently assessed by the National Offender Management Service.

Prisons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what selection criteria were used to select the three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey for market testing in 2005;
	(2)  what selection criteria were used to select (a) individual prisons and (b) clusters of prisons for market testing.

Fiona Mactaggart: When the original contracts for the private sector prisons Blakenhurst, Buckley Hall, Doncaster, and Wolds and Service Level Agreement for the public sector prison Manchester were due to expire, the management of each prison was market tested. Brixton prison was selected for market testing on the basis that it is was underperforming. The three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey were the first cluster of prisons to be market tested. The criteria used for selecting the Sheppey cluster were geographical proximity; public sector management; range of security classification; and low likelihood of their being re-roled or closed.

Probation Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how many probation hostel places will be required in each of the next five years; what effect he expects the establishment of the National Offender Management Service to have on demand; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: There is a National Offender Management Service (NOMS) instigated review and scoping exercise currently being undertaken to ascertain the level of development required across the Approved Premises (formerly Bail and Probation Hostels) estate. Once complete, this information will be used to inform a national strategy for Approved Premises Development. This will take into account any potential impact of the creation of NOMS which is identified during the review.

Probation Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms exist to ensure consistency in Probation Service assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) is the assessment system used across the whole of the National Probation Service. Having a single standard tool provides consistency. The National Probation Directorate has put in place measures to help ensure the quality of OASys completion.

Probation Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the offender assessment procedures used by the Probation Service; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) is a good system, as attested by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation. It is subject to ongoing improvement but there are no plans to replace it.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many responses were received in response to the consultation paper Restructuring Probation to Reduce Reoffending from Welsh-based (a) organisations and (b) individuals; and how many of these responses were supportive of the Government's position.

Fiona Mactaggart: Responses were received from:
	(a) 10 Welsh-based organisations;
	(b) 62 individuals identifying themselves as from Wales.
	We will be publishing a summary of all the responses along with our response to the key issues raised. We expect to publish it within the timescale set out in the Cabinet Office guidelines on public consultations.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in his proposals for restructuring the Probation Service in Wales he plans to allow (a) members of the public and (b) local organisations (i) to be made aware of the applicants for contracts to provide probation services and (ii) to make objections to those service providers' applications.

Fiona Mactaggart: There are no plans to publish the names of those tendering for a contract to provide probation services. Competitions will be organised in full compliance with the revised EU procurement directives; an objection to a bidder's participation in the competition would be considered in the light of the directives which allow for the disqualification of a bidder under specified circumstances such as fraud.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in the restructuring proposals for the Probation Service in Wales he plans to give offenders rights to object to being supervised by a particular provider of probation services under contract.

Fiona Mactaggart: No. Offenders will not be able to object to being supervised by any provider of probations services.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many responses to the consultation paper, Restructuring Probation to reduce Re-offending, were received from individual members of (a) the probation staff, (b) probation services and (c) probation boards in Wales; how many were supportive of the proposals; and if he will publish them.

Fiona Mactaggart: Responses were received as follows:
	(a) 58 respondents identified themselves as individual members of probation staff in Wales;
	(b) three respondents identified themselves as individual members of Probation Boards in Wales;
	(c) all four Probation Boards in Wales responded.
	Work analysing the responses is not yet complete. We will publish a summary of responses and the key points raised within the three-month timescale set out in the Cabinet Office guidelines on public consultations.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he can take during the restructuring of the Probation Service in Wales if employees refuse to accept the transfer of their employment from a probation board to a probation trust or private company.

Fiona Mactaggart: When probation trusts are established, most staff will transfer from probation boards to the new trusts on the same terms and conditions of employment. If, in due course, work transfers to an alternative provider, staff will generally transfer, with their pay, terms and conditions protected by TUPE and the recent extension of the Two Tier Workforce Agreement. Staff who do not wish to transfer will be free to terminate their contract of employment. The employment status of chief officers will change in the transition from boards to trusts: they will cease to be statutory office holders appointed by the Secretary of State and will instead be appointed and employed by the trust itself. If a chief is not appointed to the trust, he or she will be compensated accordingly.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses he has received from the judiciary in Wales to the publication, Restructuring Probation to reduce re-offending; and if he will place copies of those responses in the Library.

Fiona Mactaggart: Two responses were received from individual members of the judiciary in Wales. We will publish a summary of all responses following the procedures set out in Cabinet Office guidance on consultation.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Secretary of State for Wales to discuss the Probation Service in Wales and the restructuring proposals for the service.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Wales meet regularly but have not specifically discussed the proposals for restructuring the probation service. The Minister of State for Offender Management has, however, discussed the proposals for restructuring probation with the Welsh Assembly Minister for Social Justice.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he expects resources allocated to the Welsh Regional Offender Manager under the National Offender Management Service arrangements to enhance services operationally in Wales.

Fiona Mactaggart: The prime focus of National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in Wales is to reduce re-offending. The Director of Offender Management Service Wales (directly equivalent to Regional Offender Managers (ROMs) in English regions) will do this through a number of mechanisms.
	Over the next three years NOMS in Wales will establish a clear and effective commissioning relationship with service providers. Initially, these will be Prison establishments and Probation areas, although alliances with the voluntary and community sector will be strengthened at the same time.
	Prison and Probation provision will be managed through Service Level Agreements with the Director of Offender Management Service Wales, with public protection and decency high on the agenda, alongside reducing re-offending through end-to-end offender management.
	A Reducing Re-offending strategy has been jointly developed with the Welsh Assembly Government, work will be planned and carried out in close partnership with all relevant agencies to address the seven pathways which are thought to be most instrumental in improving offenders lives and reducing their criminality.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether contestability will be introduced into the provision of probation services in Wales.

Fiona Mactaggart: Proposals for the restructuring of the probation service were set out in the Home Office consultation paper Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending, published on 20 October. These proposals would enable the Secretary of State to contract with a range of different providers to deliver all probation services in England and Wales.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the future of probation boards in Wales.

Fiona Mactaggart: Proposals for the restructuring of the probation service were set out in the Home Office consultation paper Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending, published on 20 October. Further announcements on our proposals will be made in due course.

Prostitution

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prostitutes were given custodial sentences for soliciting in 2005.

Fiona Mactaggart: A custodial sentence is not available for the offence of soliciting.

Public Order

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) anti-social behaviour orders, (b) individual support orders, (c) enforced parenting orders and (d) voluntary parenting contracts have been issued in west Lancashire since each was established.

Hazel Blears: The available information, as notified to the Home Office, on the numbers of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and the number of individual support orders and parenting orders issued in tandem is given in the table.
	The Youth Justice Board collect data on parenting contracts related to crime and antisocial behaviour from youth offending teams (YOTs). These data are collected at YOT area level only.
	
		The number of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, where prohibitions have been imposed in the west Lancashire district council local government authority area, and individual support orders (ISOs) and parenting orders (POs) issued in tandem, as notified to the Home Office, from 1 June 2000(73) to 30 June 2005 (latest available)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 ASBOs issued 13 
			 ISOs issued(74) — 
			 POs issued(75) — 
		
	
	(73) From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area. During this period five ASBOs were issued within Lancashire.
	(74) ISOs, available since 1 May 2004, can be given to persons aged 10 to 17 years being issued with an ASBO at civil proceedings. Two of the 13 people were eligible.
	(75) Parenting orders can be given where the offender is under 18 years of age. Six of the 13 people were eligible.

Regional Offender Managers

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protections are in place for regional offender managers should they be unable to meet their legal obligations because the number of prison places required exceeds those commissioned.

Fiona Mactaggart: The development of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has moved responsibility for providing prison places from the Prison Service to the NOMS commissioners, although ultimately that responsibility remains the Secretary of State's. Commissioning decisions will be based upon projections of the future size of the prison population and provision made using the expertise established over many years for procuring sites and building prisons. The Government is keeping the need for any further increase in capacity under review, but will ensure that places are available for those prisoners committed by the courts.

Regional Offender Managers

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether offices have been (a) rented and (b) purchased by Regional Offender Managers; where each of these offices is located; and what the annual cost is for each.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 23 January 2006
	Seven Regional Offender Managers (ROMs) have been allocated temporary serviced" office accommodation, let on a licence for a period of 12 months. The Licence enables the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to take further space in line with planned expansion but only pay for space actually taken. These seven offices are:
	South-west—Exeter
	Wales—Cardiff
	North-west—Manchester
	East Midlands—Leicester
	Yorkshire and Humberside—Wakefield
	London—London (from April 2006)
	South-east—London and Oxford (from April 2006)
	The ROM for the North-east is located in a Government building in Newcastle under a three year Memorandum Of Terms of Occupation (MOTO) with a break clause at 18 months.
	The ROM for the West Midlands is currently in temporary Government accommodation in Birmingham and will be moved in to Government Office for the West Midlands in April 2006 on a three year MOTO, with breaks.
	The ROM for the East of England remains within leased accommodation in Peterborough (former Area Manager for the East of England) where he is likely to remain. The lease is a short-term lease (three years) subject to 12 months notice.
	The annual costs for this accommodation (inclusive of VAT) is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Licences  
			 South-west 92,448 
			 Wales 98,982 
			 North-west 83,748 
			 East Midlands 87,984 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 64,578 
			 London 135,000 
			 South-east 110,064 
			   
			 MOTOs  
			 North-east 30,000 
			 West Midlands Approx (76)90,000 
			   
			 Lease  
			 East of England 79,000 
		
	
	(76) Yet to be agreed.

Remand Prisoners

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reason for the change in the number of (a) women and (b) men remanded into custody in the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the size of the remand population, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system, is provided in the table. Changes in the make-up of the remand population are described in the Population in Custody Quarterly Brief available on the Home Office website.
	
		Males and females in the prison population on remand,as at 30 June
		
			  Males Females Total 
		
		
			 2003 12,001 1,072 13,073 
			 2004 11,544 951 12,495 
			 2005 11,863 1,001 12,864

Reoffending

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on determining the risk that an offender presents (a) to the public and (b) of reoffending; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Probation Service assesses risk of harm and likelihood of reconviction using the Offender Assessment System (OASys). The principal source of guidance for staff is the OASys Manual. In addition to the Manual there are various pieces of practice guidance.

Reoffending

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce reoffending.

Fiona Mactaggart: Building on the National Action Plan launched in 2004, in November 2005 we launched the National Reducing Reoffending Delivery Plan, the cornerstones of which are: partnership working at national, regional and local levels; end-to end-offender management under the National Offender Management Service (NOMS); and public protection. The Delivery Plan sets out the key actions the Government intends to take over the next 18 months towards the delivery of our target of reducing re-offending by 10 per cent. by the end of the decade. It also charts the real progress NOMS and its partners have made over the last 18 months in delivering services to offenders that address the reasons for their re-offending. For example, 87 per cent. of prisoners on whom information is recorded now have accommodation to go to on release, the number of educational awards offenders have achieved has risen by 40 per cent. and the number completing a drug treatment course in prison or a drug testing order in the community is up by a third. (Copies of the Delivery Plan were placed in the Library at the time of publication.)
	Alongside the Delivery Plan, we announced three important new reducing re-offending alliances. The first of these will build on links with employers at national, regional and local levels to explore how businesses can work with NOMS to improve the employability and training of offenders. The second, the civic society alliance, will involve working with local authorities and other local partners to support the resettlement and reintegration of offenders. The final alliance is with faith groups and the voluntary sector and will address the needs of offenders through the innovative work by faith and voluntary sector groups already under way.
	Complementing the alliances, NOMS has published an Action Plan to improve effective engagement and partnership with the voluntary and community sector. Also, as part of the cross-Government Together We Can" Action Plan, NOMS and the Youth Justice Board have developed a joint approach to working with communities and civil renewal. This has the twin aims of reducing re-offending and increasing public confidence, with a focus on four priorities: public protection; unpaid and reparative work; victims and restorative justice; and community integration.
	In December we published, jointly with colleagues in the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions, a Green Paper, 'Reducing Re-offending Through Skills and Employment'. We have been developing proposals for embedding skills and employment for offenders as key tenets of the broader national delivery plan for reducing re-offending. We hope that this will start a constructive dialogue with our partners about how we can most effectively equip offenders for employment and with the basic skills needed for law-abiding adult life, including engaging employers in the design and delivery of programmes for offenders and drive improvement in the quality of the programmes offered to offenders.
	Beyond this, NOMS is about to publish a five year strategy. This will set out the wider vision for how NOMS will work with its many partners to reduce re-offending and cut crime.

Respect Action Plan

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he expects residents' associations to play in the Government's Respect Action Plan.

Hazel Blears: The Respect Action Plan aims to tackle antisocial behaviour and promote respect by empowering individuals and community groups, such as residents' associations, to play an important role in taking a stand and tackling and not tolerating antisocial behaviour. This will be supported by giving people power over their local public services, creating a greater sense of ownership and improving accountability between the providers and the local community.

Sex Offenders Register

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was between a relevant conviction in court and the sexual offenders register being updated in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The term sex offenders register" is a reference to the requirement under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on all offenders who have received a conviction or caution for certain sexual offences to notify certain personal information to the police and, for a period of time set out in legislation, keep the police informed of: any changes to those details; any period of seven days spent at another address, and; any intention to travel overseas for three days or more.
	Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 requires all relevant offenders to make an initial notification" with the police, at a designated police station, within three days of their caution or conviction. If an offender is serving a term of imprisonment on the day that his initial notification" falls due, then he must make this notification within three days of his release from imprisonment. Failure to comply with the notification requirements is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers estimate that 97 per cent. of offenders comply with the notification requirements.

Speed Cameras/Speedmeters

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which models of mobile speed cameras have been purchased by each police force in England and Wales since 2003.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not recorded centrally.

Speed Cameras/Speedmeters

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were detected by speed cameras exceeding the speed limit on the contraflow between junctions 19 and 20 of the M5 (a) in the first month of operation and (b) to date.

Paul Goggins: Information on penalties generated by individual speed camera location is not collected centrally.

Speed Cameras/Speedmeters

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which speedmeters have been type-approved for police use.

Paul Goggins: The following list details speedmeters type approved for police use.
	Home Office type approved speedmeters as at 6 December 2005
	Attended actively operated
	1. Hand Held Radar Speed Measuring Devices:
	Kustom HR four—Kustom Electronics
	Kustom HR eight—Kustom Electronics
	Kustom Roadrunner—Kustom Electronics
	Kustom Falcon—Kustom Electronics
	Kustom Cordless Falcon—Kustom Electronics
	MuniQuip K-GP—Tribar Industries Inc.
	Speedar SR1—Ottery Electronics
	2. Tripod Mounted Radar Speed Measuring Devices:
	Gatsometer BV Type 24+AUS—Gatsometer BV
	3. Pneumatic Tube Sensor Speed Measuring Devices:
	Speedmaster DS2—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Autovision two with the above—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Speedmaster DS3—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Autovision three with the above—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	4. Piezo Sensor Speed Measuring Devices:
	Micro Mercury Speed Measuring System 905000—Traffic Technology Research Ltd.
	Micro Mercury Vision System 92600Traffic—Traffic Technology Research Ltd.
	Speedmaster DS2—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Autovision two with the above—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Speedmaster DS3—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	Autovision three with the above—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	M4 Squared Speed Measuring Device—Truvelo
	Combi S Speedmeter—Truvelo
	Combi S-mc Speedmeter—Truvelo
	5. Laser Speedmeters:
	LTI 20/20 Laser Hand Held Device—Tele Traffic
	LTI 20/20 TS/M Speedscope" Speed Measuring Device
	LTI 20/20 Ultralyte 100
	LASTEC Local Video system used with all of the above
	LaserCam Digital Camera System—Locktronic Systems
	LaserCam NT Digital Camera System—Poltech International
	ProLaser II Kustom
	Autovision three with the above via the Laser Data Interface—Traffic Safety Systems
	Prolaser III Kustom
	Autovision three with the above via the Laser Data Interface—Traffic Safety Systems
	Riegl LR90–235/P—Riegl
	RieglFG21-P—Riegl
	Stealth Speedlaser— Cleartone
	Urban Speed Ace—UNIPAR
	Speed Laser SL700
	Speedeye for use with both of the above
	Laser Patrol SpeedLaser—Jenoptik
	Leica XV2 SpeedLaser—Leivtec
	Autovelox 104/C-2—Sodi Scientifica
	Automatic—unmanned
	1. Radar:
	Gatsometer BV Type 24+AUS—Gatsometer BV
	Serco Speed Enforcement System Type one operating with either Techspan CMI Type 450 EE or SES CMI Type 450EE
	2. Piezo cable sensors:
	Traffiphot S—Traffipax
	Combi S Speedmeter—Truvelo
	Combi S-mc Speedmeter—Truvelo
	SpeedCurb Speed Safety Camera—RedSpeed International Ltd.
	3. Automatic Distance Over Time Speedmeters
	Speed Violation Detection Deterrent
	SVDD
	4. Combined Speed and Red Light Cameras:
	RedSpeed Red Light and Speed Safety Camera—RedSpeed International Ltd.
	Automatic—supervised
	1. Piezo cable sensors:
	Combi S Speedmeter—Truvelo
	Speedmaster DS3 with the Autovision three—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.
	2. Pnuematic tube Sensor Speed Measuring Devices:
	Speedmaster DS3 with the Autovision three—Traffic Safety Systems Ltd.

Tasers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 470W, on taser stun guns, if he will make a statement on the use of tasers in recent efforts by the police to heighten security in (a) the City of London and (b) England.

Hazel Blears: I understand from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that taser has been fired 97 times by English forces from 21 April 2003 to 10 January 2006. The City of London police have not fired taser.

Tasers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations are in place governing the private sale and distribution of Tasers; and whether he plans to tighten these regulations.

Hazel Blears: Tasers are prohibited weapons and cannot be lawfully possessed or sold without the express authority of the Secretary of State under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. As such they are already strictly regulated and are not available for private use.

Tasers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at how many people Tasers have been fired by each police constabulary in England and Wales, broken down by (a) gender, (b) age and (c) ethnicity.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally by the Home Office. However, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) collect this information from all forces in England and Wales who complete a Taser Deployment Form on each occasion a Taser is deployed. These force returns will be analysed in due course for the information requested and I will write to the hon. Member when complete.
	In addition, the report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers into the pilot study by five police forces of the Taser electric stun gun, 'Independent Evaluation of the Operational Trial of Taser May 2004' (available on the West Mercia Constabulary's website at www.westmercia.police.uk contains gender and ethnicity details from the trial.

Temporary Migrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many temporary migrants (a) were receiving NHS treatment, (b) had places in state schools and (c) were receiving in-work benefits on 1 December 2005.

Tony McNulty: For all of the above requests, the information is not collated centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Terrorism Bill

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions (a) before and (b) after 26 October on which (i) he and (ii) his representatives contacted Hammersmith and Fulham police about the Terrorism Bill; and what form that contact took.

Hazel Blears: Neither my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary nor his officials in the Home Office have contacted Hammersmith and Fulham police specifically in relation to the Terrorism Bill.

Traffic Offences

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many (a) males and (b) females were convicted of motoring offences in (i) Ruislip-Northwood constituency, (ii) the London borough of Hillingdon, (iii) Greater London and (iv) England in each of the last five years, broken down by offence;
	(2)  how many young people of school age have been found guilty of committing a crime in (a) Ruislip-Northwood constituency, (b) the London borough of Hillingdon, (c) Greater London and (d) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is provided in the following tables and gives the number of persons found guilty of motoring offences, broken down by sex and type of offence, and the number of young people of school age found guilty of committing a crime in Hillingdon petty sessional area, Greater London and England 2000–04.
	In addition to court proceedings statistics, the number of young people of school age Cautioned in Greater London and England are also provided in the table.
	It is not possible to identify those offenders in the Ruislip-Northwood constituency, as the data is not collected at this level of detail nor is it possible to identify the number of the Reprimands or Final Warnings given in Hillingdon petty sessional area.
	Court statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty for motoring offences, by offence type and sex, Hillingdon Petty Sessional Area, Greater London and England, 2000–2004(77)Hillingdon Petty Sessional Area
		
			  Males Females 
			 Offence type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Dangerous driving 12 15 16 16 14 — — — — — 
			 Driving etc, after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 334 311 386 394 450 37 29 44 41 50 
			 Careless driving 142 102 115 91 112 22 8 13 18 19 
			 Accident offences 4 5 10 8 4 1 — — — 1 
			 Driving Licence related offences 130 153 174 228 281 9 6 5 6 24 
			 Vehicle Insurance Offences 467 460 571 724 1,111 48 40 66 65 168 
			 Vehicle Registration and Excise Licence offences 11 6 9 8 109 — 2 2 — 26 
			 Work record or employment offences 42 26 18 44 60 — 1 1 — 2 
			 Operator's Licence offences 7 1 1 14 7 — — — — 1 
			 Vehicle Test offences 10 8 13 21 17 — — — 1 1 
			 Fraud, forgery, etc associated with vehicle or driver records 14 18 18 42 18 — — — 1 — 
			 Vehicle, or part, in dangerous or defective condition 134 116 133 176 107 6 7 11 9 10 
			 Speed limit offences 497 424 598 306 182 67 49 93 39 59 
			 Motorway offence (other than speeding) 3 24 61 3 5 — 3 6 1 — 
			 Neglect of traffic directions 149 129 129 156 83 13 19 11 18 15 
			 Neglect of pedestrian rights 13 10 16 17 12 6 1 4 3 5 
			 Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 48 46 79 81 44 6 4 8 8 5 
			 Lighting offences 3 6 8 5 8 2 — — 1 — 
			 Noise offences 2 3 1 1 1 — — — — — 
			 Load offences 23 29 36 50 21 — — — — 1 
			 Offences peculiar to motor cycles 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — — 
			 Miscellaneous offences (including trailer offences) 23 25 27 10 72 2 4 1 1 4 
		
	
	(77) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.
	
		Greater London(79)
		
			  Males Females 
			 Offence type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Dangerous driving 357 385 445 554 561 6 13 10 14 17 
			 Driving etc, after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 9,953 9,556 10,934 10,520 10,807 1,006 965 1,132 1,093 1,233 
			 Careless driving 4,187 3,555 3,062 2,901 2,963 839 635 528 520 519 
			 Accident offences 394 374 387 339 283 69 55 50 60 44 
			 Driving Licence related offences 3,712 3,993 4,883 5,900 7,239 250 205 257 357 562 
			 Vehicle Insurance Offences 12,999 14,473 17,506 20,720 24,028 1,117 1,081 1,445 1,689 2,261 
			 Vehicle Registration and Excise Licence offences 1,856 1,675 1,790 1,971 1,838 366 330 422 593 524 
			 Work record or employment offences 357 362 199 280 190 3 5 2 1 5 
			 Operator's Licence offences 91 72 53 47 48 3 2 — 1 1 
			 Vehicle Test offences 326 328 296 379 246 38 33 35 37 32 
			 Fraud, forgery, etc associated with vehicle or driver records 375 357 388 430 344 11 22 28 31 25 
			 Vehicle, or part, in dangerous or defective condition 1,527 1,319 1,181 1,190 1,447 84 84 90 93 101 
			 Speed limit offences 6,946 7,348 6,481 6,612 6,786 940 1,244 1,300 1,279 1,262 
			 Motorway offence (other than speeding) 39 39 73 9 21 1 7 8 2 3 
			 Neglect of traffic directions 6,804 6,902 5,211 4,776 4,788 1,295 1,413 1,161 924 805 
			 Neglect of pedestrian rights 437 396 378 521 495 76 70 56 83 102 
			 Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 2,232 1,547 1,555 1,578 1,645 245 223 228 243 240 
			 Lighting offences 82 85 112 108 123 6 6 10 15 9 
			 Noise offences 20 15 10 10 12 1 1 — — — 
			 Load offences 575 610 340 369 203 9 10 8 8 7 
			 Offences peculiar to motor cycles 18 17 15 13 64 2 2 1 — — 
			 Miscellaneous offences (including trailer offences) 1,735 1,424 1,793 953 1,456 341 460 490 210 289 
		
	
	
		England
		
			  Males Females 
			 Offence type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Dangerous driving 3,607 3,692 4,365 4,841 4,777 109 115 147 194 174 
			 Driving etc, after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 64,053 63,538 67,837 69,456 71,534 7,418 7,316 8,354 8,834 9,452 
			 Careless driving 23,958 21,439 18,871 17,070 16,720 5,055 4,203 3,710 3,205 2,986 
			 Accident offences 4,354 4,613 4,520 4,790 4,924 753 770 722 823 825 
			 Driving Licence related offences 34,964 36,031 38,834 45,796 48,780 2,662 2,464 2,645 3,209 3,730 
			 Vehicle Insurance Offences 143,042 141,847 152,984 173,778 183,520 16,763 15,634 17,429 20,270 21,139 
			 Vehicle Registration and Excise Licence offences 8,417 9,729 13,862 17,146 16,805 1,971 2,238 3,664 4,452 4,199 
			 Work record or employment offences 3,802 3,284 2,710 2,466 2,064 58 65 38 40 34 
			 Operator's Licence offences 1,104 841 657 488 467 34 22 25 23 20 
			 Vehicle Test offences 14,411 12,405 11,372 12,129 11,674 1,817 1,369 1,373 1,401 1,341 
			 Fraud, forgery, etc associated with vehicle or driver records 2,948 2,983 2,806 2,750 2,216 267 268 262 257 215 
			 Vehicle, or part, in dangerous or defective condition 10,380 8,175 6,791 6,214 6,604 784 639 589 478 521 
			 Speed limit offences 105,505 101,613 90,701 100,541 109,237 18,567 19,869 19,726 22,252 24,883 
			 Motorway offence (other than speeding) 1,809 1,326 1,608 1,085 1,252 277 155 183 96 171 
			 Neglect of traffic directions 21,123 19,474 17,515 17,071 18,460 4,352 4,094 3,975 3,743 3,905 
			 Neglect of pedestrian rights 2,576 2,071 1,714 1,825 1,795 526 400 365 344 344 
			 Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 9,318 8,680 8,389 8,752 7,321 2,555 2,512 2,453 2,596 2,048 
			 Lighting offences 2,647 2,079 1,949 1,866 1,977 252 217 208 180 190 
			 Noise offences 701 604 419 388 353 85 50 40 27 22 
			 Load offences 7,442 5,957 4,876 4,968 4,496 190 162 130 124 122 
			 Offences peculiar to motor cycles 243 236 199 211 288 16 13 14 15 7 
			 Miscellaneous offences (including trailer offences) 30,930 29,133 33,311 44,002 56,025 7,428 6,830 7,509 8,738 11,742 
		
	
	(78) Includes Metropolitan police and City of London police force areas.
	
		Number of offenders of school age cautioned or found guilty of all offences, Hillingdon Petty Sessional Area, Greater London and England, 2000–04(79)(80)
		
			  Cautioned(81) Found Guilty 
			 Area 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Hillingdon Petty Sessional Area(82) — — — — — 197 221 210 191 215 
			 Greater London(83) 10,553 9,452 7,499 7,470 8,859 6,497 7,554 7,562 6,948 7,200 
			 England 76,410 77,666 66,652 70,792 83,248 52,419 55,310 54,327 53,426 56,891 
		
	
	(79) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.
	(80) Defendants aged between 10 and 16.
	(81) In June 2000 reprimands and final warnings replaced juvenile cautions..
	(82) Cautions are issued by police forces and cannot be broken down by petty sessional area.
	(83) Includes Metropolitan police and City of London police force areas.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Grants

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of unmet demand for Access to Work grants.

Anne McGuire: In the 2004–05 financial year, a total of 6,037 Access to Work applications nationally were rejected or not pursued by the customer. This represents just under 19 per cent. of the total number of applications received that year. Access to Work Business Centres consider all applications very carefully and only reject applications when they do not meet the Access to Work eligibility criteria.

Access to Work Grants

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the projected annual budget is for Access to Work in each of the next three years.

Anne McGuire: Along with other programmes, the figures are currently under consideration in the light of overall priorities.

Adviser Discretion Fund

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobcentres are imposing a £50 limit on the maximum amount from the Adviser Discretion Fund which can be granted without a business case.

Margaret Hodge: The Adviser Discretion Fund enables the purchase of virtually anything that will help people obtain a job, or, if already offered a job, to enable them to accept that offer.
	Jobcentre Plus is responsible for the effective management of the Adviser Discretion Fund (ADF). In order to maintain effective controls on ADF expenditure, the payment that advisers can make to a customer was reduced to £100 within a 12 month period. However it remains the case that if individual circumstances justify it, that limited can be raised.
	The chief executive of Jobcentre Plus has ensured that field directors and district managers adhere to the national limits and cease, with immediate effect, any variation which reduce the discretionary limit.

Allied Steel and Wire

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of expenditure under the Financial Assistance Scheme on deferred pensioners in the Allied Steel and Wire (Cardiff) pension scheme in (a) 2005–06, and (b) each year from 2006–07 to 2010–11, under the three-year rule.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 January 2006
	The estimated expenditure under the Financial Assistance Scheme on deferred pensioners in the Allied Steel and Wire (Cardiff) pension scheme is £50,450 (before tax deductions) in 2005–06. This covers the first payments made in December and monthly payments for the months January to March.
	It will not be possible to provide estimates for subsequent years until we have received full details on eligible members and the extent of their losses from the trustees of the pension scheme. This information is unlikely to be available until the scheme is close to finalising winding up.

Asbestos

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the possibility of material containing asbestos being sent to landfill if the European Union Asbestos Worker Protection Directive is implemented.

Anne McGuire: The disposal of asbestos and asbestos contaminated waste is regulated by the waste controls including those regulations implementing the Landfill and Hazardous Waste Directives. These regulations will not be affected by the implementation of amendments to the Asbestos Worker Protection Directive. The legal obligations that currently exist to manage and properly dispose of hazardous waste, such as waste containing asbestos, will remain in place.

Asbestos

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the risks associated with the application and removal of textured coatings containing asbestos.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Laboratory has carried out research on the removal of asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings. The Health and Safety Commission's Consultative Document on proposals for revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice includes a summary of this research and a wider risk assessment.
	The Health and Safety Executive has also commissioned some further research on likely exposures to asbestos from textured coating removal, and will evaluate this and other available research, including on risks to the public, as part of the consultation. The supply and use (including application) of asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings is prohibited by the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1999, and textured decorative coatings supplied today no longer contain asbestos.

Asbestos

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to remove certain processes from the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) consultation on revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice ends tomorrow, 31 January. HSC will take account of the views of consultees before making recommendations for final regulations.
	The Consultative Document does not contain any proposals to remove processes from the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) Regulations; all processes currently covered by these regulations would remain so.
	It is proposed that work with asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings is removed from the Health and Safety Executive's licensing regime, due to the much lower level of risk arising from work with these materials than previously indicated. It would, however, still be a requirement under CAW Regulations that this work is undertaken by properly trained workers using suitable controls to reduce exposure, based on a written plan of work.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed both incapacity benefit and income support in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		Income support claimants also in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance: Great Britain
		
			 May Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,012,800 
			 1998 1,048,900 
			 1999 1,076,900 
			 2000 1,117,300 
			 2001 1,184,000 
			 2002 1,194,700 
			 2003 1,209,700 
			 2004 1,198,500 
			 2005 1,183,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Figures for 1997 to 1999 have been derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. totals.
	3. Incapacity benefit (IB) figures include IB credits only cases.
	Sources:
	DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
	Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples

Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support and (c) incapacity benefit claims later determined to be fraudulent in Wales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the table.
	
		Benefit overpayments due to customer fraud in Wales -- £
		
			 Year ending JSA IS IB 
		
		
			 2001–02 688,961 6,162,199 1,011,804 
			 2002–03 535,633 4,490,391 990,922 
			 2003–04 502,282 3,821,941 1,086,480 
			 2004–05 845,657 5,529,937 1,109,785 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures obtained from the General Matching Service (GMS) include customer error and customer fraud, as these cannot be provided separately by GMS.
	2. Figures are based on recoverable benefit overpayments identified during the years shown and may span previous years.
	3. Information in this form was not captured before 2000–01.
	Source:
	FIBS (Fraud Information By Sector) and GMS (General Matching Service).

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to locate administration of benefit services outside the United Kingdom.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has no intention of moving any of its jobs outside the United Kingdom.

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the simplification of (a) structures and (b) payment systems for in-work benefits.

James Plaskitt: The in-work benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions are housing benefit and council tax benefits.
	On 24 January 2006 we published our Green Paper A new deal for welfare: empowering people to work". This details our proposals for simplification and reform of housing benefit in the private sector and consults on the direction of reform for social sector.
	We are also continuing our programme of measures to simplify housing benefit and council tax benefits rules to align more closely with pension credit and tax credits.
	No changes have been made in payment systems in respect of housing benefit.

Benefits

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have been receiving the benefit for five years or more.

Anne McGuire: As at May 2005, 3,900 people in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham had been claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance for five years or more.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of (a) unemployment benefit, (b) income support, (c) invalidity benefit and (d) the basic state pension was as a proportion of average full-time earnings in each year from 1977–78.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of gross domestic product was spent on (a) unemployment benefits, (b) invalidity benefits, (c) disability benefits and (d) income support in each year since 1978–79.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		Percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), cash terms
		
			  Unemployment benefit Invalidity benefit Disability benefit Income support (under 60) 
		
		
			 1978–79 0.7 0.9 0.4 0.3 
			 1979–80 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.3 
			 1980–81 0.9 0.8 0.4 0.3 
			 1981–82 1.2 0.8 0.5 0.3 
			 1982–83 1.4 0.8 0.6 0.4 
			 1983–84 1.5 0.8 0.6 0.4 
			 1984–85 1.6 0.8 0.7 0.5 
			 1985–86 1.6 0.8 0.7 0.5 
			 1986–87 1.6 0.8 0.8 0.6 
			 1987–88 1.3 0.8 0.8 0.6 
			 1988–89 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.6 
			 1989–90 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.6 
			 1990–91 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.6 
			 1991–92 1.0 1.1 0.7 0.8 
			 1992–93 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.9 
			 1993–94 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.0 
			 1994–95 0.8 1.3 1.0 1.0 
			 1995–96 0.7 1.2 1.0 1.1 
			 1996–97 0.6 1.1 1.1 1.1 
			 1997–98 0.5 1.0 1.1 1.0 
			 1998–99 0.4 0.9 1.1 0.9 
			 1999–2000 0.4 0.8 1.1 0.9 
			 2000–01 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.9 
			 2001–02 0.3 0.8 1.1 1.0 
			 2002–03 0.2 0.7 1.0 0.9 
			 2003–04 0.2 0.7 1.1 0.9 
			 2004–05 0.2 0.6 1.1 0.9 
		
	
	The following table covers those who are over 60 and are on income support/minimum income guarantee/pensions credit (guarantee credit) and pension credit (savings credit).
	
		
			  Income support (over 60) 
		
		
			 1978–79 0.3 
			 1979–80 0.3 
			 1980–81 0.3 
			 1981–82 0.4 
			 1982–83 0.3 
			 1983–84 0.3 
			 1984–85 0.4 
			 1985–86 0.4 
			 1986–87 0.4 
			 1987–88 0.4 
			 1988–89 0.4 
			 1989–90 0.4 
			 1990–91 0.4 
			 1991–92 0.5 
			 1992–93 0.6 
			 1993–94 0.6 
			 1994–95 0.6 
			 1995–96 0.5 
			 1996–97 0.5 
			 1997–98 0.5 
			 1998–99 0.4 
			 1999–2000 0.4 
			 2000–01 0.4 
			 2001–02 0.4 
			 2002–03 0.4 
			 2003–04 0.4 
			 2004–05 0.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain.
	2. Unemployment benefit includes unemployment benefit from 1978–79 to 1996–97, supplementary benefit for the unemployed from 1978–79 to 1987–88, income support for the unemployed from 1988–89 to 1996–97, contribution-based jobseeker's allowance and income-based jobseeker's allowance from 1996–97 to 2004–05.
	3. Invalidity benefit are a total of sickness, incapacity and invalidity benefits and severe disablement allowance.
	4. Disability benefit covers mobility allowance, attendance allowance, disability living allowance, industrial injuries benefits, motability/specialised vehicle fund, vaccine damage payments and war disablement pensions (to 2002–03). Carers allowance is not included.
	5. Income support under 60 excludes the income support paid to unemployed people.
	Source:
	DWP Medium-term Expenditure Forecasts and HM Treasury Gross Domestic Product figures at 2005 pre-Budget report.

Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit claims were subject to each rate of non-dependant deduction for the most recent year for which figures are available; how many claimants were living in (a) council housing, (b) registered social landlord housing and (c) the private rented sector, broken down by each rate; and what each figure represents as a percentage of total housing benefit claims in that year.

James Plaskitt: The most recent available information is in the following table.
	
		Housing benefit non-dependants by deduction type and tenure, Great Britain: May 2003
		
			  All tenures Registered social landlord Local authority Private 
		
		
			 Total with non-dependants (84)270,0000 80,000 158,000 32,000 
			 As a percentage of all HB claimants 7.1 2.1 4.2 0.9 
			 of which: 
			 Attracting deductions for non-dependants 128,000 36,000 77,000 15,000 
			 As a percentage of all HB claimants 3.4 1.0 2.0 0.4 
			  
			 Non-dependants: 
			 Total (85)304,000 92,000 176,000 36,000 
			 Attracting deductions 136,000 39,000 81,000 16,000 
			  
			 Status of non-dependants: 
			 In remunerative work 59,000 19,000 33,000 7.000 
			 of which: 
			 Gross weekly income <£92 6,000 (86)2,000 4,000 (86)1,000 
			 Gross weekly income £92- 8,000 3,000 4,000 (86)1,000 
			 Gross weekly income £137- 12,000 4,000 6,000 (86)2,000 
			 Gross weekly income £177- 10,000 3,000 6,000 (86)1,000 
			 Gross weekly income £235- 6,000 (86)1,000 4,000 (86)1,000 
			 Gross weekly income £293 and 16,000 6,000 8,000 (86)2,000 
			 Not receiving IS/JSA(IB) nor working 28,000 6,000 18,000 4,000 
			 Receiving IS/JSA(IB), not in work 49,000 14,000 31,000 4,000 
			 On Government training allowance (87)— (87)— (87)— (87)— 
			 Unknown (86)2,000 (87)— (86)1,000 (87)— 
		
	
	(84) This figure is the number of housing benefit recipients with at least one non-dependant.
	(85) This figure is the total number of non-dependants.
	(86) Figures under £2,500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be used only as a guide to the situation.
	(87) Denotes nil or negligible.
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. The caseloads are rounded to the nearest thousand, and percentages to one decimal place. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 percent sample, taken in May 2003.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the 20 councils with the longest times for processing new housing benefit claims according to the most recent figures available; and what that time was in each case.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the table.
	
		Housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) processing times—20 longest -- Days
		
			 Local authority HB and CTB claims HB claims CTB claims 
		
		
			 Great Yarmouth 112 110 114 
			 Newcastle under Lyme 108 92 124 
			 Bracknell Forest 93 112 76 
			 North Wiltshire 88 88 88 
			 Copeland 83 81 85 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 82 87 79 
			 Ipswich 80 80 79 
			 Stoke on Trent 79 77 81 
			 Broxtowe 76 74 78 
			 Walsall 72 n/a n/a 
			 Northampton 70 69 71 
			 Dover 68 66 71 
			 Thurrock 68 64 71 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 68 61 71 
			 Herefordshire 65 68 64 
			 Sefton 64 63 64 
			 Oadby and Wigston 63 n/a n/a 
			 Mid Devon 63 57 69 
			 Coventry 63 58 67 
			 Hackney 62 64 60 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. n/a=breakdown for performance on HB and CTB not available.
	2. Not all LAs have returned data in every quarter and therefore the reported figures are the weighted averages of those that have returned figures.
	3. Where possible we have provided average processing times for housing benefit and council tax benefit, with an overall average, to ensure consistency with DWP published statistics.
	4. Number of days relates to average calendar days taken to decide a new HB or CTB claim from the date the authority first receives a claim, to the date a decision is made.
	Source:
	Local authority (LA) quarterly statistical returns to DWP; second quarter of 2005–06.

Benefits

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Peterborough constituency were receiving incapacity benefit in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency
		
			 May Number 
		
		
			 2003 4,700 
			 2004 4,700 
			 2005 4,700 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance claimants including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the additional cost of incapacity benefit resulting from a rise in the retirement age to (a) 66, (b) 67 and (c) 68 years.

Anne McGuire: The information necessary from which to make such an estimate is not currently available. It is expected that it will become available later in the year.

Benefits

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Easington constituency aged (a) 20 to 25, (b) 25 to 30, (c) 30 to 35, (d) 35 to 40, (e) 40 to 45, (f) 45 to 50, (g) 50 to 55, (h) 55 to 60 and (i) 60 to 65 years are in receipt of incapacity benefit.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in the Easington parliamentary constituency; at 31 May 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 All Ages 9,700 
			 Under 20 100 
			 20 to 24 400 
			 25 to 29 600 
			 30 to 34 700 
			 35 to 39 900 
			 40 to 44 1,100 
			 45 to 49 1,200 
			 50 to 54 1,400 
			 55 to 59 2,000 
			 60 to 64 1,300 
			 65 and over 100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Severe Disability Allowance, including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Benefits

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency have been receiving benefits for five years or more.

Anne McGuire: As at May 2005, there were 1,300 people in the parliamentary constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale who had been in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance for five years or more.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of new claimants of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997 were already in receipt of another benefit; and what proportion were new benefit claimants;
	(2)  what proportion of new claimants of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997 were already in receipt of another benefit; and what proportion were new benefit claimants.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit commencements already in receipt of income support by quarter -- Thousands and percentage
		
			  All incapacity benefit commencements Those already in receipt of income support Percentage of all incapacity benefit commencements 
		
		
			 May 1997 231.8 33.8 15 
			 August 1997 234.6 28.7 12 
			 November 1997 230.3 24.8 11 
			 February 1998 209.7 21.9 10 
			 May 1998 200.5 20.5 10 
			 August 1998 202.6 20.7 10 
			 November 1998 211.9 20.7 10 
			 February 1999 198.1 20.0 10 
			 May 1999 200.4 19.2 10 
			 August 1999 195.1 20.5 11 
			 November 1999 199.8 20.8 10 
			 February 2000 190.3 20.7 11 
			 May 2000 193.1 20.5 11 
			 August 2000 192.2 21.1 11 
			 November 2000 193.1 20.5 11 
			 February 2001 186.2 20.3 11 
			 May 2001 194.8 23.7 12 
			 August 2001 183.9 18.7 10 
			 November 2001 186.9 19.0 10 
			 February 2002 173.1 20.4 12 
			 May 2002 183.4 20.9 11 
			 August 2002 181.6 19.9 11 
			 November 2002 186.7 20.9 11 
			 February 2003 173.5 21.8 13 
			 May 2003 177.9 21.2 12 
			 August 2003 174.5 20.0 11 
			 November 2003 181.0 22.4 12 
			 February 2004 167.4 18.6 11 
			 May 2004 170.5 18.5 11 
			 August 2004 166.9 15.8 9 
			 November 2004 167.7 17.2 10 
			 February 2005 153.9 14.9 10 
			 May 2005 133.7 12.4 9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	4. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters. For illustration purposes, total commencements for May 2004 increased by 18 per cent. in the year following their initial release.
	5. Income support figures will include a small number of minimum income guarantee and pension credit claimants.
	6. Incapacity benefit figures exclude severe disability allowance, since there are no new severe disability allowance commencements.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average duration of an incapacity benefit claim was in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the average duration of an incapacity benefit claim has been in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants by duration of claim each May since 1997
		
			 As at May each year All durations Up to 3 months 3 to 6 months 6 months to 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years Over 5 years 
		
		
			 1997 2,848,800 173,000 156,500 227,600 352,000 1,871,700 68,000 
			 1998 2,795,200 154,500 132,300 223,300 357,300 1,441,300 486,600 
			 1999 2,754,800 149,600 129,300 198,300 320,100 1,064,100 893,400 
			 2000 2,737,800 170,900 136,800 206,500 308,800 745,500 1,169,300 
			 2001 2,808,600 170,500 143,900 214,700 311,500 704,000 1,264,000 
			 2002 2,822,200 163,500 132,600 196,300 313,000 673,000 1,343,800 
			 2003 2,829,700 158,700 133,600 195,800 286,700 662,600 1,392,300 
			 2004 2,825,000 152,900 130,900 188,400 286,100 639,000 1,427,600 
			 2005 2,784,000 138,200 118,400 180,600 271,500 614,900 1 ,460,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using 5 per cent. data and have been rated up in accordance with the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. 'Claimant' figures include all Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Severe Disability Allowance claimants, including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

Benefits

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) male and (b) female incapacity benefit claimants there were in Blackpool, South (i) in total, (ii) broken down by age and (iii) broken down by category of claim in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in the Blackpool, South parliamentary constituency; by age and sex each May since 2000 -- Thousands
		
			  IB/SDA IB SDA 
		
		
			 May 2000  
			 All persons 8.0 7.2 0.9 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.3 0.1 
			 25–49 3.6 3.2 0.4 
			 50–59 2.8 2.6 0.2 
			 60–64 1.1 1.0 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 
			 Men 5.0 4.7 0.4 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.1 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.1 2.0 0.2 
			 50–59 1.6 1.6 0.1 
			 60–64 1.1 1.0 0.1 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.0 2.5 0.5 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.1 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.5 1.3 0.2 
			 50–59 1.2 1.1 0.2 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 May 2001
			 All persons 8.1 7.3 0.8 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.3 0.1 
			 25–49 3.7 3.3 0.4 
			 50–59 2.9 2.6 0.2 
			 60–64 1.1 1.0 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 
			 Men 5.1 4.7 0.4 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.2 2.0 0.2 
			 50–59 1.6 1.5 0.1 
			 60–64 1.0 1.0 (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.1 2.6 0.5 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.5 1.3 0.2 
			 50–59 1.3 1.1 0.2 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 May 2002
			 All persons 8.1 7.3 0.8 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.3 (88)— 
			 25–49 3.7 3.3 0.4 
			 50–59 2.9 2.6 0.2 
			 60–64 1.1 1.0 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 
			 Men 5.0 4.7 0.3 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.2 2.1 0.2 
			 50–59 1.6 1.5 0.1 
			 60–64 1.0 1.0 (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.0 2.6 0.5 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.5 1.3 0.2 
			 50–59 1.3 1.1 0.2 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 May 2003
			 All persons 8.2 7.4 0.7 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.4 (88)— 
			 25–49 3.9 3.5 0.4 
			 50–59 2.8 2.6 0.2 
			 60–64 1.1 1.0 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 Men 5.1 4.8 0.3 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.3 2.1 0.2 
			 50–59 1.5 1.5 0.1 
			 60–64 1.0 1.0 (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.1 2.7 0.4 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.6 1.4 0.2 
			 50–59 1.3 1.1 0.1 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 May 2004
			 All persons 8.3 7.6 0.7 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.4 (88)— 
			 25–49 4.0 3.6 0.4 
			 50–59 2.9 2.7 0.2 
			 60–64 1.0 0.9 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 
			 Men 5.1 4.8 0.3 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.4 2.2 0.2 
			 50–59 1.6 1.5 0.1 
			 60–64 0.9 0.9 (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.2 2.8 0.4 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.6 1.4 0.2 
			 50–59 1.3 1.2 0.1 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 May 2005
			 All persons 8.2 7.5 0.7 
			 Under 25 0.4 0.4 (88)— 
			 25–49 4.0 3.6 0.4 
			 50–59 2.8 2.6 0.2 
			 60–64 0.9 0.9 0.1 
			 65 and over 0.1 (88)— 0.1 
			 
			 Men 5.0 4.7 0.3 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 2.3 2.2 0.1 
			 50–59 1.5 1.5 0.1 
			 60–64 0.9 0.9 (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 
			 Women 3.2 2.8 0.4 
			 Under 25 0.2 0.2 (88)— 
			 25–49 1.6 1.4 0.2 
			 50–59 1.2 1.1 0.1 
			 60–64 (88)— (88)— (88)— 
			 65 and over (88)— (88)— (88)— 
		
	
	(88) Denotes nil or negligible.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and shown in thousands.
	2. '—' denotes nil or negligible.
	3. 'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants (including IB credits only cases)
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Benefits

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in Gravesham constituency have been in receipt of the benefit for (a) less than six months, (b) between six months and one year, (c) one to three years, (d) three to five years and (e) five years or more.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants by duration in the Gravesham parliamentary constituency as at May 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 All Durations 3,500 
			 Up to 6 months 400 
			 6 months up to 1 year 300 
			 1 year and up to 3 years 800 
			 3 years and up to 5 years 500 
			 5 years and over 1,700 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants, including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total expenditure was for those on incapacity benefits due to (a) mental ill health and (b) behavioural reasons in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available broken down as requested. The available information is in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance expenditure for those with a primary diagnosis in the mental and behavioural disorders group of diagnoses— Cash terms -- £ million
		
			   Incapacity benefit Severe disablement allowance 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,435 354 
			 1998–99 1,532 361 
			 1999–2000 1,562 375 
			 2000–01 1,663 384 
			 2001–02 1,765 402 
			 2002–03 1,900 371 
			 2003–04 1,999 368 
			 2004–05 2,079 367 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance expenditure for those with a primary diagnosis in the mental and behavioural disorders group of diagnoses—Real terms (2005–06 prices) -- £ million
		
			   Incapacity benefit Severe disablement allowance 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,725 426 
			 1998–99 1,796 423 
			 1999–2000 1,795 432 
			 2000–01 1,886 436 
			 2001–02 1,954 445 
			 2002–03 2,039 398 
			 2003–04 2,090 385 
			 2004–05 2,129 376 
		
	
	Note:
	Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £1 million.
	Source:
	PBR 2005 Expenditure Tables and DWP Information Centre 5 per cent. sample data.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received incapacity benefit on the grounds of dependency on (a) drugs and (b) alcohol in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants with a diagnosis of Alcoholism" or Drug Abuse" in Great Britain
		
			 As at May each year Alcoholism Drug Abuse 
		
		
			 1997 27,100 21,900 
			 1998 30,100 25,300 
			 1999 32,800 27,900 
			 2000 35,800 31,300 
			 2001 38,900 36,900 
			 2002 41,300 41,300 
			 2003 43,700 44,600 
			 2004 46,200 46,600 
			 2005 48,000 48,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. 'Claimant' figures include all IB and SDA, including IB credits only cases.
	4. All diagnoses are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, published by the World Health Organisation.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claims for incapacity benefit were unsuccessful in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claims refused as a percentage of those received
		
			 Calendar year (January to December) Percentage of IB and SDA claims refused 
		
		
			 2005 43.90 
			 2004 47.41 
			 2003 53.34 
		
	
	Note:
	Claims refused are all those claims where no monetary amount of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance was awarded. Many of these claims will be National Insurance contribution-only cases. Other benefits may be awarded.
	Source:
	Central Data Unit for figures up to and including July 2004 and Management Information Systems Programme 04(MISP04) from August 2004 to December 2005.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people leaving incapacity benefit in (a) the last six months, (b) the last 12 months and (c) the last seven years represented (i) transfers to other social security benefits, (ii) people moving from benefit into employment and (iii) people moving off benefit to unknown destinations.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) leavers by destination during periods shown.
		
			  IB/SDA claims ending in the last six months(89) IB/SDA claims ending in the last 12 months(90) IB/SDA claims ending in the last seven years(91) 
		
		
			 Total number of claims ending 355,400 707,400 5,336,800 
			 Transfer to other benefits(92) 83,900 166,000 1,334,000 
			 Return to IB/SDA(93) 16,700 32,400 268,600 
			 Reach retirement age or are recorded as moving to state pension 29,000 60,900 448,500 
			 Recorded as death of claimant 13,100 25,800 183,400 
			 Recorded as returned to work(94) 14,500 26,700 136,500 
			 Residual unknown destinations 198,200 395,500 2,965,800 
		
	
	(89) IB/SDA claims ending in the last 12 months includes IB/SDA claims terminating from 1 March 2004 to 28 February 2005, this is the latest year for which figures are available.
	(90) IB/SDA claims ending in the last seven years include IB/SDA claims terminating from 1 March 1998 to 28 February 2005.
	(91) Those transferring to other benefits include those moving onto income support pension credit, jobseeker's allowance, working families tax credit, disabled persons tax credit within 90 days of the IB/SDA claim ending.
	(92) Return to IB/SDA includes those claimants who make another claim to IB/SDA within 90 days of their previous claim terminating.
	(93) It is known that the number recorded as returning to work underestimates the true situation. It is not possible to determine the number that moved to employment, however the Destinations of Benefit Leavers 2004" report showed that 62 per cent. of IS, JSA and IB leavers entered employment of 16 hours or more a week.
	(94) Destinations of terminated IB/SDA claims are assigned in the priority order shown above.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. IB/SDA claims ending in the last six months include IB/SDA claims terminating from 1 September 2004 to 28 February 2005.
	3 Figures for the last six months" and last 12 months" given above will increase significantly following receipt of late notifications.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples (terminations dataset).

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people making a fresh claim for incapacity benefit in each year since 2000 had been in receipt of incapacity benefit during the previous 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) commencements where the claimant had formerly claimed IB in the previous 12 months: Great Britain
		
			  All Commencements with former IB claim in previous 12 months 
			  commencements  Percentage 
		
		
			 May 2001 194,800 36,400 19 
			 May 2002 183,400 33,300 18 
			 May 2003 177,900 31,600 18 
			 May 2004 170,500 31,700 19 
			 May 2005 133,700 26,600 20 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Commencement figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major increases in future quarters.
	3. Earlier quarters have been updated to include late notified terminations, including terminations for state pension.
	Source:
	Terminations—DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will list other benefits available to incapacity benefit recipients; and what changes there have been in recipient numbers of each benefit in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many claimants of incapacity benefit were in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit only, (b) incapacity benefit in combination with each other benefit to which a claimant may also be entitled and (c) each other (i) benefit and (ii) combination of benefits to which a claimant may be entitled in each of the last five years; and what the average weekly level of benefit received by a claimant was in each case.

Anne McGuire: The key benefits that can be paid with incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) are: income support (IS); disability living allowance (DLA); housing benefit (HB); and council tax benefit (CTB).
	IB and SDA claimants may also have underlying entitlement to bereavement benefits and carers allowance, although there would be no monetary value.
	Industrial injuries disablement benefit and war disablement pension can be paid in addition to incapacity benefit, where a claimant is entitled to these benefits.
	The available figures for the key benefits are in the tables. Because they are from different data sources, the housing benefit and council tax benefit figures cannot be combined with the other benefits and an overlap exists between the figures in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants with combinations of income support (IS) and disability living allowance (DLA), claimant numbers and average benefit amounts: May 2001 to May 2005
		
			  May 2001 May 2002 May 2003 May 2004 May 2005 
			 Benefit combination Thousand £pw Thousand £pw Thousand £pw Thousand £pw Thousand £pw 
		
		
			 Total IB/SDA 2,749.6 111.25 2,764.6 137.82 2,771.2 142.81 2,767.9 142.78 2,726.9 144.28 
			 IB and DLA n/a n/a 495.4 146.79 510.9 147.35 580.9 148.70 589.7 152.10 
			 IBS. IS 1,046.4 123.74 691.8 116.08 692.7 122.53 616.5 122.72 601.3 116.90 
			 IB and IS and DLA n/a n/a 401.9 187.96 438.1 193.55 405.5 195.13 415.1 195.77 
			 IB only 1,369.2 89.46 879.6 86.40 849.5 86.19 900.0 86.51 869.3 87.84 
			 SDA and DLA n/a n/a 67.9 119.98 62.0 122.74 64.4 125.85 61.2 130.13 
			 SDA and IS 239.6 155.07 23.7 108.08 20.0 114.95 16.4 116.98 14.1 116.63 
			 SDA and IS and DLA n/a n/a 191.3 170.12 186.7 174.38 173.5 174.62 166.4 178.46 
			 SDA only 94.5 55.28 13.0 56.12 11.2 57.47 10.8 59.19 9.8 61.23 
		
	
	n/a=not applicable.
	Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. IB/SDA 'Claimant' figures include all IB and SDA, including IB credits only cases.
	3. 'IB and DLA' and 'SDA and DLA' claimants are not in receipt of IS.
	4. 'IB and IS' and 'SDA and IS' claimants are not in receipt of DLA.
	5. 'IB only' and 'SDA only' claimants are not in receipt of IS or DLA.
	6. Each amount is a combined average weekly amount of all benefits listed in the category.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) claimants with housing benefit: May 2000 to May 2004
		
			   Caseloads (thousand)  Average weekly amount of housing benefit (£ pw) 
			  All Not also in receipt of IB Also in receipt of IB All Not also in receipt of IB Also in receipt of IB 
		
		
			 May 2000 4,033 3,626 407 48.43 48.74 45.71 
			 May 2001 3,874 3,474 400 50.34 50.70 47.27 
			 May 2002 3,813 3,410 403 54.55 54.98 50.91 
			 May 2003 3,796 3,401 396 55.85 56.48 50.47 
			 May 2004 3,879 3,469 410 60.30 61.06 53.87 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) claimants with council tax benefit: May 2000 to May 2004
		
			   Caseloads (thousand)  Average weekly amount of council tax benefit (pw) 
			  All Not also in receipt of IB Also in receipt of IB All Not also in receipt of IB Also in receipt of IB 
		
		
			 May 2000 4,830 4,314 516 9.40 9.35 9.78 
			 May 2001 4,673 4,163 511 10.14 10.11 10.42 
			 May 2002 4,602 4,090 512 10.87 10.83 11.14 
			 May 2003 4,628 4,129 498 12.06 12.06 12.09 
			 May 2004 4,759 4,267 492 13.00 13.02 12.78 
		
	
	
		Severe disablement allowance (SDA) with housing benefit: May 2000 to May 2004
		
			   Caseloads (thousand)  Average weekly amount of housing benefit (£ pw) 
			  All Not also in receipt of SDA Also in receipt of SDA All Not also in receipt of SDA Also in receipt of SDA 
		
		
			 May 2000 4,033 3,919 114 48.43 48.23 55.46 
			 May 2001 3,874 3,760 115 50.34 50.08 59.07 
			 May 2002 3,813 3,699 114 54.55 53.89 76.04 
			 May 2003 3,796 3,685 112 55.85 55.69 61.11 
			 May 2004 3,879 3,767 112 60.30 60.19 64.15 
		
	
	
		Severe disablement allowance (SDA) with council tax benefit: May 2000 to May 2004
		
			   Caseloads (thousand)  Average weekly amount of council tax benefit (£ pw) 
			  All Not also in receipt of SDA Also in receipt of SDA All Not also in receipt of SDA Also in receipt of SDA 
		
		
			 May 2000 4,830 4,718 112 9.40 9.37 10.45 
			 May 2001 4,673 4,561 113 10.14 10.12 10.97 
			 May 2002 4,602 4,492 110 10.87 10.85 11.74 
			 May 2003 4,628 4,531 97 12.06 12.05 12.62 
			 May 2004 4,759 4,664 95 13.00 12.99 13.45 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple
	2. Caseloads are expressed in thousands and rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest penny and refer to the amount of housing benefit or council tax benefit only.
	4. Housing benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases
	5. Council tax benefit figures exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases
	6. There will be overlaps in the housing benefit and council tax benefit figures as it is possible to be in receipt of both benefits.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Annual 1 per cent. sample taken between May 1999 and May 2004

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will list the main medical reasons for payment of incapacity benefit;
	(2)  how many people were claiming incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by disease.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants by diagnosis group: Great Britain, May 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 All diagnoses 2,784,000 
			 Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 21,000 
			 Neoplasms 39,900 
			 Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism 4,500 
			 Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 39,700 
			 Mental and Behavioural Disorders 1,086,100 
			 Diseases of the Nervous System 166,300 
			 Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa 19,700 
			 Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process 12,100 
			 Diseases of the Circulatory System 168,900 
			 Diseases of the Respiratory System 65,600 
			 Diseases of the Digestive System 43,300 
			 Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System 16,900 
			 Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 524,300 
			 Diseases of the Genitourinary System 19,800 
			 Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium 4,700 
			 Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period — 
			 Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities 25,200 
			 Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 331,400 
			 Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 157,500 
			 Factors influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services 37,100 
		
	
	'—'denotes nil or negligible.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants, including IB credits only cases.
	3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation.
	Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time for an appeal by a claimant against a decision on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit to be heard was in each year since 2000.

Anne McGuire: This is a matter for Dr. Christina Townsend, chief executive of the Appeals Service. She will respond to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Christina Townsend, dated January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding what the average length of time for an appeal by a claimant against a decision on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit to be heard was in each year since 2000.
	The information you have asked for is set out in the table below.
	
		Average Appeal Durations from Lodged to Outcome -- Weeks
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005(95) 
		
		
			 All IB 22.59 22.28 20.72 19.63 18.9 
			 IBPCA 21.88 21.79 20.59 19.63 18.78 
			 IB Non-PCA 27.05 25.61 21.64 19.64 19.83 
		
	
	(95) Years are represented from January to December in each instance except 2005 where January to September has been used.
	Notes:
	1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	2. Lodged" denotes when an appeal is submitted to the first tier agency. Lodged data only enters the GAPS database when the Appeal reaches the Appeals Service.
	3. Duration is derived by calculating the time difference from when an appeal is lodged until when it is cleared. It is represented in weeks.
	4. PCA is the Personal Capability Assessment.
	Source:
	100% download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants were aged over (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 55, (d) 60 and (e) 65 years in each of the last seven years.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants by age group -- Thousand and percentage
		
			  Claimants Percentage 
		
		
			 May 1999   
			 All Ages 2,755.2 100.0 
			 Under 40 793.5 29.0 
			 40–49 663.4 24.2 
			 50–59 946.4 34.6 
			 60–64 331.1 12.1 
			 65 and over 31.7 1.2 
			
			 May 2000   
			 All Ages 2,737.8 100.0 
			 Under 40 807.5 29.5 
			 40–49 593.1 21.7 
			 50–59 930.4 34.0 
			 60–64 381.2 13.9 
			 65 and over 25.6 0.9 
			
			 May 2001   
			 All Ages 2,808.6 100.0 
			 Under 40 837.2 30.6 
			 40–49 615.2 22.5 
			 50–59 956.7 34.9 
			 60–64 373.3 13.6 
			 65 and over 26.0 1.0 
			
			 May 2002   
			 All Ages 2,822.2 100.0 
			 Under 40 841.2 30.7 
			 40–49 629.9 23.0 
			 50–59 960.9 35.1 
			 60–64 363.5 13.3 
			 65 and over 26.7 1.0 
			
			 May 2003   
			 All Ages 2,829.7 100.0 
			 Under 40 844.2 30.8 
			 40–49 645.6 23.6 
			 50–59 960.3 35.1 
			 60–64 352.1 12.9 
			 65 and over 27.6 1.0 
			
			 May 2004   
			 All Ages 2,825.0 100.0 
			 Under 40 838.5 30.6 
			 40–49 659.7 24.1 
			 50–59 955.8 34.9 
			 60–64 342.8 12.5 
			 65 and over 28.2 1.0 
			
			 May 2005   
			 All Ages 2,784.0 100.0 
			 Under 40 810.6 29.6 
			 40–49 667.0 24.4 
			 50–59 944.4 34.5 
			 60–64 333.0 12.2 
			 65 and over 29.0 1.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and shown in thousands.
	2. Figures for the year 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	3. 'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants, including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples for 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living abroad have been in receipt of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Number of claimants and expenditure for incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance paid in respect of people living abroad
		
			  Caseload Expenditure (Nominal Terms) (£ million) Expenditure (Real Terms) (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 8,500 34 40 
			 1998–99 8,200 34 39 
			 1999–2000 8,150 33 38 
			 2000–01 8,350 33 38 
			 2001–02 8,600 34 38 
			 2002–03 9,500 38 40 
			 2003–04 9,800 39 41 
			 2004–05 9,250 41 42 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £1 million.
	2. Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 50.
	3. Real Terms Expenditure is at 2005–06 prices.
	4. All expenditure figures are consistent with the PBR 2005 Report.
	Source:
	Data from the DWP's administrative systems was used to calculate the proportion of total incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance expenditure in respect of people living abroad.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many doctors were employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time to conduct medical examinations of claimants for incapacity benefit in each of the last seven years.

Anne McGuire: The following table shows the number of full-time, part-time and sectional doctors employed to conduct medical examinations for the past 6 years. Figures for full-time and part-time doctors for the year 1999 are not available.
	
		
			  Full time Part time Sessional 
		
		
			 2005 176 92 1,380 
			 2004 175 37 1,627 
			 2003 179 28 1,380 
			 2002 181 29 1,896 
			 2001 153 24 2,060 
			 2000 161 22 2,319 
			 1999 — — 2,039 
		
	
	Full-time and part-time doctors are directly employed by Medical Services. Sessional doctors are contracted to undertake benefit work on an as and when required basis.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department monitors the number of incapacity benefit claims that are supported by each (a) general practitioner practice and (b) individual general practitioner in (i) Pathways to Work areas and (ii) non-Pathways to Work areas.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of incapacity benefit have undertaken permitted work in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The rules for permitted work were introduced in April 2002. Information is available only from November 2002. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit claimants undertaking permitted work: Great Britain
		
			  November 2002 May 2003 May 2004 May 2005 
		
		
			 Permitted Work Lower Level 2,100 8,500 14,500 17,900 
			 Supported Permitted Work 1,900 6,500 10,300 11,500 
			 Permitted Work Higher Limit 5,800 13,700 10,700 10,900 
			 Permitted Work Higher Limit  Supported — — — (96)400 
		
	
	'—' Nil or negligible
	(96) Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide.
	Notes:
	1. Figures have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people left jobseeker's allowance for incapacity benefit in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants moving to incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) during periods shown
		
			 Period Total JSA terminations IB/SDA is claimed within 90 days of JSA claim terminating 
		
		
			 Total (March 2002 to February 2005) 7,497,000 600,500 
			 1 March 2004 to 28 February 2005 2,337,000 181,700 
			 1 March 2003 to 29 February 2004 2,536,000 203,800 
			 1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003 2,624,000 215,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Numbers are based on 5 per cent. samples, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. Figures are given for JSA terminations where the claimant goes on to claim IB/SDA within 90 days of the JSA claim ending. It is possible that claimants may not move directly from JSA to IB, e.g. they may cease claiming JSA, find work and then claim IB within the given 90 day period.
	4. Number of terminations in the last year will increase following receipt of late notifications.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples (terminations dataset)

Benefits

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Derbyshire and (b) Amber Valley were in receipt of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in Derbyshire and the Amber Valley parliamentary constituency
		
			  Derbyshire Amber Valley constituency 
		
		
			 May 1997 33,900 4,500 
			 May 1998 34,200 4,600 
			 May 1999 33,700 4,700 
			 May 2000 35,100 4,400 
			 May 2001 36,300 4,600 
			 May 2002 37,000 4,800 
			 May 2003 36,900 4,800 
			 May 2004 36,100 4,600 
			 May 2005 35,000 4,600 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The parliamentary constituency figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Claimant' figures include all IB and SDA, including IB credits only cases.
	4. 'Derbyshire' includes: Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire local authorities.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, five per cent Samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

Benefits

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Eastern region had their invalidity benefit reduced because of failure to attend interviews in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available on a regional basis.

British Sign Language

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's projects to support access to British Sign Language and (b) the recruitment of tutors for this purpose.

Anne McGuire: My Department has recently provided a total of £1.5 million funding for:
	six initiatives to contribute to establishing a GB wide framework to support the recruitment, training and deployment of BSL tutors, to enhance their numbers, status and levels of qualification; and
	four initiatives to promote access for BSL users through awareness raising among employers, among service providers and in the wider community.
	Examples of these projects include:
	a project which developed online curriculum material and established online learning facilities;
	a project which developed a family sign language curriculum that will allow BSL tutors to deliver appropriate training in BSL to the families of deaf children;
	and a project providing practical workplace solutions at the point of need for interaction between deaf BSL users and hearing people—an extensive online resource covering BSL awareness for employers and colleagues, including the deaf person's first day in a new job; opportunities to learn BSL from basic signs through to quite advanced levels; and work specific BSL dictionaries to be accessed by both deaf and hearing people.
	BSL tutors were involved in developing, piloting and using the materials produced by the projects. A conference was held on 7 December 2005 to disseminate lessons learned and to raise awareness of and promote take-up of project outputs and products.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deduction of earnings orders were imposed by the Child Support Agency in each year from 1991 to 1994; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Child Support Agency did not start operating until 1993. The information requested is not available covering the period 1993–94.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to give the Child Support Agency powers to use (a) travel bans and (b) passport withdrawal as a child support enforcement tool; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to tag non-resident parents who are not compliant with child maintenance assessments issued by the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Secretary of State will make an announcement on child support shortly.

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents have been found to be avoiding paying the correct amount of child support in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents have been found guilty of avoiding paying the rightful amount of child support in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	Detailed information relating to committal proceedings is only available from the period from March 1999. Owing to the format in which this data is held, it is not possible to provide this data for the specific geographical areas requested on a yearly basis and only total numbers to date can be provided.
	
		
			  Number of non resident parents sentenced since March 1999 
		
		
			 South Tyneside 2 
			 North East of England (97)41 
			 Nationally 496 
		
	
	(97) includes two sentences passed in the South Tyneside court
	It is not possible to identify which, if any, cases were heard in the Jarrow court.
	These sentences will include suspended sentences, committal to prison or disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence.
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have left the Child Support Agency in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have left the Child Support Agency for each of the last six years.
	Please see the table below detailing the number of staff who have left the Child Support Agency for each of the last six operational years.
	
		
			 Operational year Total leavers 
		
		
			 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 1656 
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1512 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 1757 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 1694 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 1887 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 1960 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest estimate is of the time taken to action a Child Support Agency case clerically; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the latest estimate is of the time taken to action a Child Support Agency case clerically; and if he will make a statement.
	The latest estimate of the average time taken to clear a case once it has been set up clerically is 16 weeks. This is based upon a sample of a third of the clerical caseload of 15,000 cases.
	I hope you find this answer useful.

Child Support

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases there were in each year from 1997 to 2005 in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Wellingborough.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases there were in each of the years 1997 to 2005 in (a) England (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Wellingborough.
	Such information as is available is presented in the attached table. I apologise for the fact that this information cannot currently be disaggregated to the geographical level requested from February 2003 onwards.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Number of CSA cases with a full maintenance assessment for England, Northamptonshire and Wellingborough 1997–2003
		
			 As at February: England Northamptonshire Wellingborough 
		
		
			 1997 420,000 4,000 1,000 
			 1998 558,000 7,000 1,000 
			 1999 693,000 8,000 2,000 
			 2000 789,000 9,000 2,000 
			 2001 833,000 10,000 2,000 
			 2002 862,000 10,000 2,000 
			 2003 796,000 8,000 2,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand, and are a 'snapshot' at end of February each year.
	2. The analysis presented includes those cases with a full maintenance assessment only, as it is not possible to provide disaggregated volumes for pre-assessed cases or those with an interim maintenance assessment.
	3. Northamptonshire is based on the following local authority areas: Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough.
	4. Wellingborough analysis is based on Wellingborough parliamentary constituency.
	5. Robust information covering the period from March 2003 to present is not currently available.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests to HM Revenue and Customs for information regarding the income of non-resident parents were made by the Child Support Agency in each month over the last three years; and what the average time taken to respond was.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests to HM Revenue and Customs for information regarding the income of non-resident parents were made by the Child Support Agency in each month over the last three years; and what the average time taken to respond was.
	The Agency requests earnings information from two areas of HMRC, they are the Centre for Revenue Intelligence and the National Insurance Contributions Office.
	Requests for earnings information originate from the Agency's caseworkers who are familiar with the standards underpinning the Service Level Agreement which details the services to be provided and the timescales for the provision of those services. Where these are not met, caseworkers will escalate on a case by case basis either directly with HMRC via their Trace Champion" or through a central Service Level Agreement Team to resolve any specific issues.
	Because of these arrangements the Agency does not generate internal management information on either requests or timescales.
	The Centre for Revenue Intelligence does hold information on requests made for earnings from the Agency. These are shown in the table at annex A.
	The arrangements with National Insurance Contributions Office are similar to that of The Centre for Revenue Intelligence although caseworkers will go directly to the central Service Level Agreement Team if the service falls below the required standard.
	The National Insurance Contributions Office holds information on total Department of Work and Pensions referrals, however this is not disaggregated for the Child Support Agency.
	I hope you find this useful.
	
		Annex A
		
			 Financial year 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Month  
			 April 1,709 1,243 1,576 2,727 2,581 
			 May 1,559 2,111 1,887 2,130 1,942 
			 June 1,931 1,217 2,072 2,030 1,930 
			 July 1,567 1,153 1,658 2,856 2,351 
			 August 1,898 1,591 2,319 2,143 2,058 
			 September 1,143 1,283 1,980 2,101 2,210 
			 October 1,478 1,405 2,877 2,714 2,219 
			 November 1,711 2,009 2,225 1,919 — 
			 December 1,184 1,431 1,444 1,810 — 
			 January 1,170 1,837 1,619 2,024 — 
			 February 1,257 1,587 2,082 2,227 — 
			 March 1,712 1,814 2,369 2,255 — 
			 Total 18,319 18,681 24,108 26,936 15,291

Child Support

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of change requests made by Ministers in relation to the CS2 computer system on the operations of the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of change requests made by Ministers in relation to the CS2 computer system on the operations of the Child Support Agency.
	Change requests are made by the Agency not Ministers. Senior Agency officials rigorously review the reason for any change request to ensure it will deliver significant operational benefit. EDS are then asked to conduct impact assessments against all aspects of their IT service and provide a documented response. This response is reviewed by senior Agency officials who, based on the information provided, make a final decision on whether to proceed with the change.
	Change requests are primarily made to incorporate new or amended functionality. This may be required for various reasons, but predominantly to address needs that could not be foreseen at the system development stage—such as incorporating the requirement to transfer responsibility for payment of maintenance from Girobank to the Alliance and Leicester, for example.
	The changes requested have improved the degree of support that the system provides to staff while processing cases and delivering customer service. This has included enhancements to our mechanisms for distributing workload, our automated exchange of information with Jobcentre Plus and the quality of automatically produced customer notifications.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) absence rates due to sickness and (b) turnover rates for Child Support Agency staff were for each month of the last calendar year.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) absence rates due to sickness and (b) turnover rates for Child Support Agency staff were for each month of the last calendar year.
	The tables below provide the information requested.
	
		(a) Absence rates due to sickness -- Sickness
		
			 In month: 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 April 15.0 12.6 
			 May 15.3 12.1 
			 June 15.2 11.8 
			 July 16.0 11.4 
			 August 15.3 11.5 
			 September 15.6 11.2 
			 October 16.6 11.2 
			 November 16.4 — 
			 December 17.1 — 
			 January 17.5 — 
			 February 16.3 — 
			 March 14.6 — 
		
	
	Note:
	The table above shows the Average Working Days Lost to sickness each month on an annualised basis.
	
		(b) Turnover rates for Child Support Agency staff -- Turnover (percentage)
		
			 In month: 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 April 0.7 1.4 
			 May 1.0 0.8 
			 June 0.7 0.8 
			 July 1.1 0.8 
			 August 1.0 1.0 
			 September 1.3 1.0 
			 October 1.1 0.8 
			 November 1.1 — 
			 December 0.7 — 
			 January 1.1 — 
			 February 0.8 — 
			 March 0.8 — 
		
	
	Note:
	The table above reflects the percentage monthly staff turnover rate for CSA Great Britain. The figures include both internal and external leavers (permanent, fixed term and temporary staff).
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of compensation payments made to clients of the Child Support Agency for administrative errors was in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost of compensation payments made to clients of the Child Support Agency for administrative errors was in each of the last five years.
	Financial redress is made to clients in cases where maladministration has occurred. The Agency does not hold robust information to distinguish administrative errors from other acts of maladministration.
	The following table summarises the financial redress payments made to clients in each of the last five financial years, as outlined in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		£
		
			  Financial redress paid to clients 
		
		
			 2000–01 3,053,000 
			 2001–02 2,590,000 
			 2002–03 2,478,000 
			 2003–04 2,331,000 
			 2004–05 3,043,000 
		
	
	I hope you find this information useful.

Child Support

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many stuck cases were held by the Child Support Agency during the last calendar year, broken down by month.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many stuck cases were held by the Child Support Agency during the last calendar year broken down by month.
	There are still a number of defects in the CS2 computer system which can prevent some cases from progressing. The figures in the table below show the total number of cases requiring technical intervention to progress against all identified defects. These figures include cases currently being progressed clerically and cases for which no further action is required but which cannot be closed without technical intervention. The clerical process allows staff to progress these cases off-line to ensure that any money paid in by the non-resident parent is paid out to the parent with care.
	
		
			  Month Total number of cases unable to progress without technical intervention 
		
		
			 November 2004 36,128 
			 December 2004 25,931 
			 January 2005 30,109 
			 February 2005 28,983 
			 March 2005 25,420 
			 April 2005 25,877 
			 May 2005 21,295 
			 June 2005 23,713 
			 July 2005 25,557 
			 August 2005 26,757 
			 September 2005 28,237 
			 October 2005 29,354 
			 November 2005 32,830 
		
	
	Work is ongoing to remedy these problems, and future IT releases are planned during 2006 and 2007 to resolve the various system performance issues and build on the improvements already made.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) face-to-face interviews have been provided, (b) complaints have been received, (c) cases have been referred to the Independent Case Examiner and (d) cases have been raised by hon. and right hon. Members with the Child Support Agency in each year since 1997; what the average cost of each has been in each year; and how policy on each has changed since 1997.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 1 December 2005
	The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Information on face-to-face interviews is only available for 2002–03 for old scheme cases on CSCS, and in 2004–05 for all schemes. Details are included in the following table.
	
		Face to face interviews carried out by the CSA
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002–03 67,195 
			 2003–04 (98)— 
			 2004–05 26,136 
		
	
	(98) Robust information covering the period 2003–04 is not currently available.
	Under the new legislation (introduced in March 2003), calculating maintenance requires less information and is quicker to establish therefore reducing the need for face-to-face interviews. This will have contributed to the fall in the numbers of interviews between 2002–03 and 2004–05.
	The agency's face-to-face service was replaced in September 2005 with the Client Interviewing Service. This service provides interviews for clients who require assistance. It also uses Compliance Inspector Teams to pursue clients, employers and other parties who fail to co-operate with the agency when required to do so.
	Unfortunately, it is not possible currently to provide estimates of the average cost of carrying out face-to-face interviews.
	(b) The following table provides information on the number of complaints received by the agency since 1997.
	During 2003–04 a three-tier complaints process was introduced. Stage 1 complaints are dealt with by the complaints resolution team located within each of the agency's six business units. Stage 2 complaints are an escalation to the relevant area director when the client is not satisfied with the outcome of stage 1; and stage 3 is an escalation to the chief executive if the client remains dissatisfied.
	Unfortunately, it is not possible currently to provide estimates of the average cost of dealing with agency complaints.
	
		Agency complaints—number of cases received in the agency 1997 to 2005
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Stage 1 complaints received (written) 27,875 28,073 21,015 19,634 15,493 15,182 24,809 29,213 
			 Stage 1 complaints received (telephone) (99)— — — — — (100)— 7,458 10,570 
			 Chief executive complaints (101)— — — 4,096 4,555 7,804 (102)— (103)— 
			 Treat official complaints (101)(102)— — — 2,609 2,869 1,344 1,521 1,108 
			 MP complaints to business units (101)— — — 4,175 4,818 4,537 5,317 8,871 
		
	
	(99) While the agency did receive stage 1 telephone complaints prior to 2002–03, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(100) Although 671 stage 1 telephone complaints were recorded between December 2002 and March 2003, their volumes were not recorded throughout the whole year, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(101) While the agency did receive complaints directly to the chief executive, treat official complaints, and MP complaints to business units prior to 2000–01, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(102) During 2003–04 complaints sent directly to the chief executive were not recorded separately from those complaints which were escalated to him as part of the three stage process. Therefore, although 7,183 complaints in total were received during 2003–04, it is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the chief executive directly (as opposed to those escalated via the complaints process), thus preventing meaningful comparison with data for earlier years.
	(103) In April and May of 2004, the chief executive received a total of 1,435 complaints but it is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the chief executive directly, as opposed to those escalated to stage 3 of the complaints process. From June 2004 to March 2005, after which time such complaints were recorded separately, the chief executive received 4,352 direct complaints and 2,549 complaints escalated upwards from stage 2. Again, these recording issues prevent meaningful comparison of this category with earlier years.
	(104) Treat official letters are those received by a Minister from a member of the public, and referred for initial consideration to an official of the agency.
	Note:
	The agency has a three-tier complaints process which comprises of: stage 1 complaints from clients which are dealt with by the Complaints Resolution Team located within each of the agency's six business units; stage 2 complaints which are an escalation to the relevant area director when the client is not satisfied with the outcome of stage 1; and stage 3 which is an escalation to the chief executive if the client remains dissatisfied.
	(c) The following table shows the volume of complaints received, accepted and cleared by the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), together with the annual budget and cost per cleared case.
	The ICE can only accept cases that have completed the final stage of the agency's complaints process in the six months prior to the referral to ICE. Cases that concern matters of law, Government policy, have been (or are being) investigated by the parliamentary and health service ombudsman, cannot be accepted. Cases which cannot be accepted are referred back to the agency.
	
		CSA complaints (UK) received, accepted and cleared by ICE
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Complaints received 1,087 1,536 1,226 1,488 1,520 1,444 2,190 3,028 
			 Complaints accepted 471 704 584 765 793 717 941 1,285 
			 Cleared by investigation on resolution or withdrawn 204 474 692 619 691 901 890 1,225 
			 Annual budget (£) 1,025,675 920,960 1,040,811 1,176,087 1,623,765 1,873,880 2,224,374 2,469,933 
			 Unit cost (£) 5,028 1,943 1,504 1,900 2,350 2,080 2,499 2,016 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures shown represent complaints received into ICE from Great Britain and Northern Ireland CSA clients.
	2. Unit cost is annual budget divided by the volume of cleared cases.
	(d) Unfortunately, it is not possible to say how many case specific complaints have been raised by hon. and right hon. Members. While the information presented in the table at part (b) shows complaints sent to business units by MPs, these can relate to both case specific and general issues, and cannot be broken down to identify the former. In addition, cases shown as being received by the chief executive are from MPs and also other bodies such as solicitors, pressure groups, local councillors and citizens advice bureaux. Again, this information recorded cannot be broken down further.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total amount of compensation paid to clients by the Child Support Agency (CSA) has been since 1997; and (a) how many and (b) what proportion of complaints about the CSA have been upheld by the Independent Case Examiner since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The following table summarises the compensation payments made to clients in each year since 1997, as outlined in the agency's Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		£ million
		
			  Amount of compensation paid 
		
		
			 1997–98 1.101 
			 1998–99 4.351 
			 1999–2000 3.075 
			 2000–01 3.053 
			 2001–02 2.590 
			 2002–03 2.478 
			 2003–04 2.331 
			 2004–05 3.043 
		
	
	The following table shows how many full investigations were carried out by ICE on complaints raised about the CSA, and the outcome of those investigations.
	
		CSA (GB) complaints fully investigated by ICE
		
			  Cases fully investigated Fully upheld Partially upheld Not upheld 
		
		
			 1997–98 148 57 (39%) 80 (54%) 11 (7%) 
			 1998–99 229 73 (32%) 148 (65%) 8 (3%) 
			 1999–2000 219 43 (20%) 155 (71%) 21 (9%) 
			 2000–01 286 68 (24%) 195 (68%) 23 (8%) 
			 2001–02 213 46 (22%) 141 (66%) 23 (12%) 
			 2002–03 390 105 (27%) 214 (55%) 71 (18%) 
			 2003–04 436 163 (37%) 214 (49%) 59 (14%) 
			 2004–05 478 183 (37%) 241 (51%) 54 (11%) 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures shown represent complaints received into ICE from Great Britain CSA clients.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many customer complaints were made to the Child Support Agency in each year from 1996–97.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the requested information.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many customer complaints were made to the Child Support Agency in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 to date.
	The volumes of complaints received direct from clients, their representatives and MPs to the Child Support Agency or to our Ministers, for which information is available, are in the attached table.
	It should be noted that it is difficult to use this information to make meaningful comparisons over time due to changes in the way that information has been recorded. In particular whilst the volume of stage 1 written complaints undoubtedly rose between 2002–03 and 2003–04, this is likely to have been due in part to more rigorous recording of complaints received at the time, and the introduction by the Agency of a three tier complaints process during 2003–04.
	It should also be noted that the volume of complaints has stabilised. In the twelve months up to November 2005, the Agency received a total of 54,000 complaints, this compares to 55,000 for the 12 months up to May 2005 (the earliest period for which comparable data for total numbers of complaints received is available).
	Further, to put the attached figures into context, the 54,000 complaints received in the 12 months to November 2005 represent less than 4% of the 1.4 million cases dealt with by the CSA.
	I hope you find this answer useful.
	
		Agency complaints—number of cases received in the agency 1997 to 2005
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 April-November 2005 
		
		
			 Stage 1 complaints received (written) 27,875 28,073 21,015 19,634 15,493 15,182 24,809 29,213 18,087 
			 Stage 1 Complaints received (telephone) (105)— (105)— (105)— (105)— (105)— (106)— 7,458 10,570 7,038 
			 Chief Executive Complaints (107)— (107)— (107)— 4,096 4,555 7,804 (108)— (109)— 3,857 
			 Treat Official Complaints(110) (107)— (107)— (107)— 2,609 2,869 1,344 1,521 1,108 817 
			 MP Complaints to Business Units (107)— (107)— (107)— 4,175 4,818 4,537 5,317 8,871 6,488 
		
	
	(105) While the agency did receive stage 1 telephone complaints prior to 2002–03, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(106) Although 671 stage 1 telephone complaints were recorded between December 2002 and March 2003, their volumes were not recorded throughout the whole year, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(107) While the agency did receive complaints directly to the Chief Executive, treat official complaints, and MP complaints to Business Units prior to 2000–01, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(108) During 2003–04 complaints sent directly to the Chief Executive were not recorded separately from those complaints which were escalated to him as part of the 3 stage process. Therefore, although 7,183 complaints in total were received during 2003–04, it is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the Chief Executive directly (as opposed to those escalated via the complaints process), thus preventing meaningful comparison with data for earlier years.
	(109) In April and May of 2004, the Chief Executive received a total of 1,435 complaints but is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the Chief Executive directly, as opposed to those escalated to stage 3 of the complaints process). From June 2004-March 2005, after which time such complaints were recorded separately, the Chief Executive received 4,352 direct complaints and 2,549 complaints escalated upwards from stage 2. Again, these recording issues prevent meaningful comparison of this category with earlier years.
	(110) Treat official letters are those received by a Minister from a member of the public, and referred for initial consideration to an official of the agency.

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support cases were referred to the special payments department at the Child Support Agency in each year since 2001; how many special payments were made; what the total cost of the special payments was; and how many people were paid special payments.

James Plaskitt: holding answer on 16 January 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 30 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support cases were referred to the special payments department at the Child Support Agency in each year since 2001; how many special payments were made; what the total cost of the special payments was; and how many people were paid special payments.
	The Agency does not hold sufficiently robust information to give you precisely the information requested. I apologise for this but can give you information on the number of cases referred to special payments, how many special payments have been made and the total cost of special payments between the period 1 December 2001 and 31st December 2005.
	I am unable to state how many people received payments from the Child Support Agency because the Agency records the number of payments made and an individual may have received more than one payment.
	The table below contains the available information.
	
		
			 Period Cases referred to special payments How many special payments made Total cost of special payments in £ million 
		
		
			 1 December 2001 to 31 March 2002 4,053 2,758 0.662 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 11,513 9,522 2.478 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 10,482 6,883 2.331 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 13,112 10,144 3.043 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 December 2005 10,340 7,616 2.760 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The Agency does not hold sufficiently robust information prior to 1 December 2001 to provide data over the entire period requested. 2. Compensation payments cover financial redress, which are made to clients in cases where maladministration has occurred. The Agency does not hold robust information to distinguish administrative errors from other acts of maladministration. 3. Consolatory payments are made in support of an apology made by the Agency to any individual. Actual financial loss payments are made in those cases where maladministration has directly caused the customer to incur additional expenditure that would not have been incurred otherwise.
	I hope you find this information helpful.

Child Support

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what powers the Independent Case Examiner has (a) to award and (b) to recommend the awarding of compensation by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in cases where the Examiner considers that the CSA has failed claimants.

James Plaskitt: The Independent Case Examiner has no statutory authority to award compensation. However, she has authority to recommend the consideration of financial redress by the Child Support Agency in cases where she has identified maladministration in the way that the agency dealt with a client. Such recommendations may include the consideration of compensation for actual financial loss and consolatory payments in recognition of difficulties, anxiety and distress caused by agency maladministration.
	The agency has agreed to implement her recommendations in all but exceptional circumstances, giving written reasons for not doing so to both the Case Examiner and the client. The agency decides the amount of the award in line with Department for Work and Pensions Guidance.

Child Support

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases in each of the last five years the Independent Case Examiner has found failure by the Child Support Agency; and in how many cases the Examiner recommended that the Agency should pay compensation.

James Plaskitt: The following table describes all of the information requested.
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Cleared by Investigation — — — — — — 
			 Fully upheld 68 23.6 47 21.9 110 27.0 
			 Partially upheld 197 68.4 142 66.0 221 54.3 
			 Not upheld 23 8.0 26 12.1 76 18.7 
			  288 — 215 — 407 — 
			
			 Cleared by Resolution(111) 307 — 431 — 412 — 
			 Number of cases with recommendations(112) n/a — n/a — 519 — 
			 Number of financial redress recommendations(113) 1,117 — 1,080 — 868 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 All 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Cleared by Investigation — — — — — — 
			 Fully upheld 164 37.3 184 37.6 573 31.1 
			 Partially upheld 216 49.1 243 49.6 1,019 55.4 
			 Not upheld 60 13.6 63 12.9 248 13.5 
			  440 — 490 — 1,840 — 
			
			 Cleared by Resolution(111) 376 — 618 — 2,144 — 
			 Number of cases with recommendations(112) 569 — 856 — 1,944 — 
			 Number of financial redress recommendations(113) 1,004 — 1,604 — 5,673 — 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(111) Complaints are cleared by resolution on the basis that the Agency will take agreed action to address the issues raised.
	(112) Some cases include more than one recommendation where several instances of maladministration have been identified.
	(113) For similar reasons, some cases will include more than one recommendation for financial redress. Financial redress may include consolatory payments, ex gratia payments, actual financial loss, deferment of arrears, advance payments of maintenance, interest payments, or refunds of maintenance paid.
	Note:
	All figures include the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency.

Child Support

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what account is taken by the Child Support Agency of jointly incurred debts when assessing maintenance payments;
	(2)  why an overdraft incurred as a result of being unable to pay maintenance and debt repayments is not considered in Child Support Agency assessments.

James Plaskitt: In the new scheme a non-resident parent can apply for a variation" to the maintenance calculation to have special expenses" taken into account. In the old scheme either parent can apply for a departure" from the formula. One of the grounds on which a variation or departure can be applied for is where the non-resident parent (or in the old scheme the absent parent or parent with care) has expenses relating to debts which arose before the non-resident parent became a non-resident parent, and at the time that the non-resident parent and the parent with care were living together.
	The debts must have been incurred for the joint benefit of both parents, or their children, or for the benefit of the other parent but where the person applying remains legally responsible for the repayments.
	Expenses relating to a bank overdraft can be taken into account but only where at the time it was taken out it was agreed to be for a specified amount and repayable over a specified period.
	Only the expenses exceeding a certain threshold are allowed. In the current scheme the threshold is set at £10 a week where the non-resident parent's net weekly income is below £200, and £15 a week where it is £200 or more. In the old scheme the threshold is £15 a week for all cases.
	A departure or variation is only allowed where it is just and equitable" to do so. Broadly this means that the result of the variation or departure must be fair taking account of all the circumstances of the case, and, in particular, the welfare of any child likely to be affected. This includes the child for whom maintenance is paid as well as any other children living with either parent.

Child Support

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 611W, on the Child Support Agency, how many outstanding applications from people in (a) Guildford and (b) Surrey were received more than (i) six months and (ii) 12 months ago.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available at the geographical level requested.

Child Support

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many formal complaints his Department has received regarding the Child Support Agency from people in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: This information requested is not available at the geographical level requested.

Customer Management Computer Systems

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of implementing the Customer Management computer systems (a) CMS, (b) CMS2 and (c) CMS3.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 30 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning what the cost was of implementing the Customer Management computer systems (a) CMS, (b) CMS2 and (c) CMS3. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Firstly, the CMS system is not yet fully deployed across the Jobcentre Plus network of local offices and contact centres and consequently there will be implementation costs not yet incurred.
	CMS and CMS2 were inter-related developments of the system and the costs were not separated. CMS3 was a release designed to improve the operation of the system based on lessons learned from the earliest deployment in a live environment.
	The total cost of CMS and CMS2 to 31 October 2005 was £243.6 million. The cost of CMS3 is estimated to be £9.98 million.
	A copy of the CMS business case was given to the Work and Pensions Parliamentary Select Committee in November 2005 and shows that savings of £61.5 million are estimated for each year when CMS is fully deployed and the resulting changes in working practices and culture have become the norm. Total savings are expected to exceed total costs over the 10 years up to 2012–13 by £98 million.
	I hope this is helpful.

Departmental Computers (Identity Theft)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to change departmental computer systems to prevent identity theft.

James Plaskitt: DWP operates a formal security accreditation process for all departmental computer systems to ensure that confidence can be placed in the appropriateness and effectiveness of security controls within these systems, and to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
	DWP recognizes that Identity and Access Management is a critical element of a robust IT system security capability. DWP are working closely with leading IT security vendors and integrators to ensure that effective Identity and Access Management IT controls are designed into new DWP IT systems and which will complement and strengthen existing security controls within legacy IT systems.
	The Department is continuously reviewing and revising its strategy, capabilities and operations in this area to ensure that the Department's security controls remain effective and are capable of addressing emerging threats such as identify theft.

Departmental Efficiency Savings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what efficiency savings have been made by his central Department since 1 January 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Department is on track to meet its Gershon review efficiency targets, the baselines for which are March 2004. Progress against the targets has been reported in the Department's Autumn Performance Report which was laid before Parliament on 15 December 2005.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by his Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government Departments.

Anne McGuire: The new Office for Disability Issues (ODI) will report annually to the Prime Minister on cross-government progress in implementing the Strategy Unit report, Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People. The first report is due to be published by summer 2006. It will contain an assessment of the activity undertaken both by the ODI and by relevant Government Departments to fulfil the responsibilities and recommendations set out in Strategy Unit's report.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has responded positively to the recommendations of the Strategy Unit report and, working closely with colleagues from other Departments, established the cross-government ministerial steering group that is taking forward the Government's strategy to deliver substantive equality for disabled people by 2025. The Department co-ordinated cross-government efforts in setting up the Office for Disability Issues, which was launched on 1 December this year, and partnered with the Department of Health and ODPM in the development of the pilots for individual budgets, announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 21 November 2005. The Department is also leading an exercise to appoint people onto an advisory group that will work with disability organisations, disabled people, and Government officials to develop proposals for a national forum for organisations of disabled people.
	The Department for Work and Pensions is also committed to taking forward the recommendations in the Life Chances report on employment, working with other Government Departments to achieve these. Progress against these recommendations will be published in the ODI annual report. The Life Chances report, and the recommendations within it are key in helping the Department for Work and Pensions in reviewing the employment services offered to disabled people, and in considering how best to reform incapacity benefit to ensure that disabled people are empowered and supported within the labour market.
	Work is underway on a project to research information and advice required by disabled people and review existing cross-government provision. We will work with other Departments to develop proposals to improve the provision of information and advice about services to disabled people. The Directgov website for disabled people, www.directgov.uk/disability is now the central point for all information from Government. It has been warmly received by disabled people and organisations and continues to grow in popularity and interest. All Departments contribute to the information and services and it is now written and co-ordinated within the Office for Disability Issues.

Disability Benefits Unit

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the Disability and Carers Service's reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit to operate on a regional basis; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the private sector firms that have been contracted for the reorganisation of the Disability and Carers Service; and what the value was of each such contract;
	(3)  how many staff hours he expects to be taken up by the (a) reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit and (b) subsequent training of staff; and what this represents in terms of financial cost;
	(4)  what advice he has received from the Disability and Carers Service on the likely impact on assessment of claims during the reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit is a matter fro the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran, dated January 2006
	In reply to four of your recent Parliamentary Questions about the reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit, the Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	You asked what assessment he had made of the Disability and Carers Service's reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit to operate on a regional basis.
	The Disability Benefit Unit (DBU) is the largest of the Disability and Carers Service's (DCS) operational sites and has responsibility for the ongoing management of approx 4.5 million cases where Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance is in payment. It also deals with new claims for these benefits from people living in the south of England.
	The decision to reorganise on a regional basis was made in order to improve service delivery to customers and their representatives, by reducing the number of people and teams that have to be involved in handling claims and changes of circumstances. Under the current organisation, a claim or change of circumstances could be dealt with by one of a number of functional teams dealing with customers from any part of Britain. The new model joins holistic benefit teams in the DBU with their counterparts dealing with new claims in our regional centres, the Disability Benefit Centres (DBC). Customers will continue to contact DCS through the national Customer Care Helpline (CCH) and the underlying structural changes should not be obvious to them, except that their business will be dealt with more efficiently and effectively.
	You also asked if he would list the private sector firms that have been contracted for the reorganisation of the Disability and Carers Service; and what the value was of each such contract.
	The total cost of accommodation, infrastructure and IT changes has been budgeted at £444,000. The changes are being made through the DWP's normal partners, Land Security Trillium, EDS and BT.
	You also asked how many staff hours he expected to be taken up by the (a) reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit and (b) subsequent training of staff; and what this represents in terms of financial cost.
	In answer to part (a) of your question, the notional staff cost associated with the move is 79,617, based on an assumption that each member of staff will be non-productive for half a day during implementation.
	In answer to part (b) of your question, most staff will continue to carry out the same work as they are currently but, over the coming months, a programme of learning and development will be used to refresh or broaden the skills of those who require it. A skills audit of all staff is being carried out currently and that will be used to assess the training needs and costs. Whilst the full cost has not yet been assessed, it is worth mentioning that some training of this nature would have been undertaken as part of the normal life of the unit; the key difference is that the skills audit will facilitate precise targeting of the training.
	Finally, you asked what advice he had received from the Disability and Carers Service on the likely impact on assessment of claims during the reorganisation of the Disability Benefits Unit.
	The expectation is that, in the immediate term, there will be minimal disruption to services. Pre-implementation activities have included the deployment of a dedicated team that has ensured there are no bottlenecks of work in the DBU and contingency plans exist should, unexpectedly, there be difficulties in the immediate period after the changes. The CCH will be open for its normal hours, and provide the full range of services, throughout the implementation period. In the medium term, the expectation is that the unit will function more effectively and efficiently and there will be gains in terms of improvements in quality, time taken to deal with cases, overall customer care and efficiency.
	I hope this is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed the mobility component of disability living allowance in each year since 1997 in (a) Leeds West constituency and (b) Leeds metropolitan district.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran, dated 30 January 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimed the mobility component of disability living allowance in each year between 1997 to 2005 in (a) Leeds West constituency and (b) Leeds Metropolitan district.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		Numbers in receipt of disability living allowance mobility component as at May in each year shown -- Thousand
		
			  Leeds West parliamentary constituency Leeds local authority 
		
		
			 May:   
			 2005 3.6 28.3 
			 2004 3.5 27.7 
			 2003 3.4 26.8 
			 2002 3.2 25.6 
			 2001 3.1 24.5 
			 2000 2.9 23.0 
			 1999 2.8 22.0 
			 1998 3.1 21.9 
			 1997 2.8 21.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Totals show the number of people where the mobility component is in payment.
	2. Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by postcode using ONS data.
	3. Leeds local authority is equivalent to Leeds metropolitan district.
	4. Information is not available for the number of people who have claimed" the mobility component.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for totals and 5 per cent. for older time series.

Disability Living Allowance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of disability living allowance there were in each year since its introduction, broken down by type of disability; and what the expenditure was in each case in each year.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Table 1—Disability living allowance: Numbers of recipients in Great Britain in each year from 1992 to 2005 by recorded main disabling conditions -- Thousand
		
			  1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 All recipients recorded main disabling condition 1,048.9 1,229.5 1,367.9 1,578.9 1,761.9 1,941.5 2,054.1 
			 
			 Arthritis 234.5 269.4 295.2 340.5 381.1 423.2 444.1 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 91.3 95.6 106.4 122.2 134.6 147.2 155.6 
			 Blindness 23.3 32.1 36.9 42.4 46.0 49.6 52.2 
			 Stroke-related 69.5 74.7 76.0 80.8 83.8 87.7 90.1 
			 Learning Difficulty 95.4 133.4 151.5 168.5 182.0 193.3 204.4 
			 Other mental health causes 55.8 66.2 81.6 108.8 139.2 169.3 199.2 
			 Epilepsy 20.1 24.4 28.9 35.9 40.0 45.0 48.0 
			 Deafness 8.3 9.4 10.0 11.8 13.6 16.2 20.2 
			 Malignant Disease 22.1 24.1 26.3 32.7 35.7 41.1 42.9 
			 Chest Disease 61.0 69.7 72.8 79.4 83.7 87.0 87.4 
			 Back ailments 79.1 88.6 101.9 122.7 145.6 168.0 178.6 
			 Heart Disease 98.5 110.4 118.6 130.3 140.9 149.8 151.2 
			 Parkinsons Disease 6.6 7.9 8.6 9.6 10.5 11.2 12.0 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 19.9 23.1 24.8 28.8 32.8 35.7 37.6 
			 Renal disorders 6.0 6.7 7.3 8.5 9.3 9.4 9.5 
			 Skin diseases 2.8 4.0 5.5 7.0 8.1 9.8 10.8 
			 Other 154.8 190.0 215.3 249.2 275.1 297.9 310.4 
		
	
	
		Thousand
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 All recipients recorded main disabling condition 2,121.4 2,192.6 2,305.8 2,423.9 2,546.7 2,643.4 2,715.5 
			 
			 Arthritis 453.5 465.0 481.4 416.0 442.5 465.7 478.5 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 161.2 166.6 177.9 160.4 176.3 188.9 198.1 
			 Blindness 54.2 56.0 58.0 55.6 57.6 59.2 60.6 
			 Stroke-related 92.5 94.7 97.9 77.9 82.3 85.4 87.4 
			 Learning Difficulty 212.7 219.8 228.6 218.3 228.6 237.7 246.6 
			 Other mental health causes 221.9 243.4 275.3 311.6 350.2 385.2 414.3 
			 Epilepsy 48.3 50.0 53.0 50.9 53.5 55.1 56.5 
			 Deafness 23.0 25.0 27.3 28.2 29.7 31.0 32.0 
			 Malignant Disease 45.5 47.2 52.1 52.9 56.1 58.4 61.5 
			 Chest Disease 86.1 85.2 85.1 72.1 76.0 78.2 79.2 
			 Back ailments 184.6 191.4 202.3 181.9 191.9 199.1 204.5 
			 Heart Disease 150.7 150.7 153.6 124.3 130.4 132.8 133.2 
			 Parkinsons Disease 12.3 12.7 13.1 11.8 12.7 13.5 14.1 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 39.2 41.2 43.5 43.6 47.5 49.8 51.3 
			 Renal disorders 9.8 10.0 10.7 10.3 10.9 11.3 11.5 
			 Skin diseases 11.5 11.4 11.8 13.1 13.8 14.0 14.1 
			 Other 314.5 322.4 334.2 595.0 586.6 577.9 572.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures show number of recipients as at 31 August in 1992 and as at 31 May in each of the years from 1993 to 2005.
	2. Figures for 1992 to 2001 are based on 5 per cent. sample data, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation; figures for 2004 and 2005 are taken from 100 per cent. work and pensions longitudinal study data.
	3. Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate
	
		Table 2—disability living allowance: estimated expenditure in Great Britain in each financial year from 1992–93 to 2004–05, by recorded main disabling condition of recipients -- (£ million in real terms at 2005–06 prices)
		
			 Recorded main disabling condition 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 
		
		
			 Arthritis 567 766 864 1,039 1,205 1,297 1,350 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 237 292 325 377 424 446 469 
			 Blindness 43 65 73 88 99 105 113 
			 Stroke-related 232 284 279 303 319 325 333 
			 Learning Difficulty 254 387 413 466 517 540 562 
			 Other mental health causes 146 200 235 311 403 480 555 
			 Epilepsy 55 79 93 115 132 142 147 
			 Deafness 18 24 25 30 36 41 48 
			 Malignant Disease 77 103 117 144 161 178 188 
			 Chest Disease 145 200 212 241 261 270 267 
			 Back ailments 183 249 294 371 455 502 523 
			 Heart Disease 217 291 319 371 415 429 433 
			 Parkinsons Disease 22 31 32 38 42 45 47 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 49 64 72 85 98 104 111 
			 Renal disorders 15 21 23 28 31 30 31 
			 Skin diseases 7 11 14 17 20 23 24 
			 Other 439 643 727 850 953 999 1,030 
			 Total expenditure 2,708 3,709 4,118 4,873 5,569 5,957 6,231 
		
	
	
		(£ million in real terms at 2005–06 prices)
		
			 Recorded main disabling condition 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002/03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Arthritis 1,405 1,472 1,540 1,587 1,641 1,691 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 491 516 556 589 627 656 
			 Blindness 119 125 132 137 142 146 
			 Stroke-related 345 357 368 367 371 377 
			 Learning Difficulty 588 613 652 661 692 724 
			 Other mental health causes 611 687 782 868 975 1,069 
			 Epilepsy 152 161 171 178 186 191 
			 Deafness 52 57 63 68 71 74 
			 Malignant Disease 195 211 230 240 253 268 
			 Chest Disease 272 276 281 284 287 293 
			 Back ailments 547 578 622 652 682 711 
			 Heart Disease 443 455 472 479 489 494 
			 Parkinsons Disease 49 51 53 54 56 59 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 116 125 133 139 144 153 
			 Renal disorders 31 33 35 37 38 39 
			 Skin diseases 25 26 28 31 32 32 
			 Other 1,065 1,115 1,167 1,200 1,241 1,291 
			 Total expenditure 6,506 6,858 7,286 7,568 7,927 8,270 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are in real terms at 2005–06 prices using GDP deflators published by HM Treasury on 28 September 2005, and are consistent with outturn expenditure published in the DWP benefit expenditure tables for PBR 2005.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds and totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Expenditure for 1992–93 and 1993–94 has been apportioned using recorded main disabling condition data from the August 1992 and August 1993 DLA Quarterly Statistical Inquiries. Expenditure for 1994–95 to 2004–05 has been apportioned using the average caseloads from all four Quarterly Statistical Inquiries in those years. Figures for 2004–05 are estimated outturn.
	4. DLA Quarterly Statistical Inquiry data is based on a 5 per cent. sample and is therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	Source:
	DWP Cross Cutting Strategy and Analysis Directorate

Discretionary Housing Payments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities make use of discretionary housing payment funding to help those facing (a) unsustainable housing benefit shortfalls, (b) eviction and (c) homelessness.

James Plaskitt: Discretionary Housing Payments can be made, subject to an annual cash limit, where a person is entitled to housing benefit or council tax benefit and the local authority consider that they are in need of further financial help with their eligible rent or council tax.
	When the Discretionary Housing Payments scheme was introduced in July 2001, general guidance was issued all local authorities, setting out the conditions for entitlement to an award. However, the decision on whether to make a Discretionary Housing Payment is entirely at the discretion of the local authority concerned so we cannot prescribe whether or not an authority must make a payment in any particular circumstances.

Discretionary Housing Payments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2005, Official Report, column 2253W, on discretionary housing payments, if he will prioritise the use of the returned funding to help those affected by unsustainable housing benefit shortfalls, eviction and homelessness.

James Plaskitt: Discretionary housing payments are intended for people who have a shortfall between their housing benefit or council tax benefit and their eligible rent or council tax liability.
	The level of Government contribution, which currently stands at £20 millon, is reviewed on an annual basis. Where a local authority does not use its Government contribution in full, the amount is recovered in the subsequent financial year.
	While the award of discretionary housing payments is entirely at the discretion of the local authority concerned, we would expect those at risk of eviction and homelessness to be among those considered for such awards.

Employment (Over-60-year-olds)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether over-60-year-olds who are seeking work are (a) included in unemployment statistics and (b) required to sign on at Jobcentre Plus.

Margaret Hodge: To be entitled to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) a claimant has to be under state pension age, currently 60 for women and 65 for men. Anyone who claims jobseeker's allowance has to be available for and actively seeking work, and has to sign on at their local jobcentre.
	The Office for National Statistics publishes information each month on the number of JSA claimants. It also publishes the International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure of unemployment, derived from the Labour Force Survey. This is based on criteria set down by the ILO, and counts all those who are actively seeking and available for work, regardless of their benefit status. The ILO measure includes those who are claiming JSA, but also those who are actively seeking work but are not eligible for, or choose not to, claim benefit.

EU Presidency (Outcomes)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the significant outcomes of the recent British EU presidency in the areas of responsibility of his Department.

James Plaskitt: The main focus of legislative work was the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council which took place on 8 and 9 December 2005. A written statement on the outcomes of this council appeared in Hansard on 14 July, but the main item of interest to my Department was that partial political agreement was reached on the Progress social spending programme.

External Consultants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has paid since 2004 to external consultants who had previously been employed by the Department in any capacity within the previous five years.

Margaret Hodge: The information required to answer this question is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Individuals who have previously been employed by the Department are required to obtain permission before being given work as external consultants but details of such approvals are not collated centrally.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of expenditure under the Financial Assistance Scheme in (a) 2005–06 and (b) each year from 2006–07 to 2010–11, under the three-year rule.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 January 2006
	It will not be possible to provide firm estimates until we have assessed the eligibility of each scheme and its members. Our latest estimates in current cash terms, based on data provided by a limited number of schemes in late 2004, are shown in the following table. The estimates will change in light of improved information. Over the longer term we estimate expenditure to average £20 million over 20 years.
	
		£ million cash
		
			  Pay 80 per cent. to those within three years of scheme pension age 
		
		
			 2005–06 0.5 
			 2006–07 10 
			 2007–08 15 
			 2008–09 25 
			 2009–10 30 
			 2010–11 30

Financial Assistance Scheme

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of expenditure under the Financial Assistance Scheme over each of the next five financial years if the three-year rule were to be extended to a five-year rule.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 January 2006
	It will not be possible to provide firm estimates until we have assessed the eligibility of each scheme and its members. Our current estimates, based on data provided by a limited number of schemes in late 2004, in current cash terms are shown in the following table. These estimates will change in light of improved information.
	
		£ million cash
		
			  Pay 80 per cent. to those within five years of scheme pension age 
		
		
			 2005–06 0.5 
			 2006–07 10 
			 2007–08 15 
			 2008–09 30 
			 2009–10 40 
			 2010–11 40

Financial Assistance Scheme

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many company pension funds in wind-up and eligible for assistance under the Financial Assistance Scheme the three-year rule will apply to (a) 0 to 5 per cent., (b) 5 to 10 per cent., (c) 10 to 15 per cent., (d) 15 to 20 per cent., (e) 20 to 25 per cent., (f) 25 to 30 per cent. and (g) more than 30 per cent. of deferred pensioners; and what the total number of deferred pensioners is in each category.

Stephen Timms: We are not yet able to provide the information required. We will not know how many deferred members will be eligible for assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme until we have assessed the eligibility of each scheme and its members. It is therefore unlikely that this information will be available until a significant proportion of pension schemes have completed winding up.

Job Vacancies (Easington)

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many notified job vacancies there were in the Easington travel to work area in each year since 2002.

Margaret Hodge: The number of monthly job vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus in Easington parliamentary constituency since November 2004 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Period Number of notified job vacancies 
		
		
			 November 2004 521 
			 December 2004 601 
			 January 2005 418 
			 February 2005 515 
			 March 2005 439 
			 April 2005 381 
			 May 2005 313 
			 June 2005 409 
			 July 2005 504 
			 August 2005 388 
			 September 2005 450 
			 October 2005 561 
			 November 2005 353 
			 December 2005 474 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System
	Easington is not a defined travel to work area in its own right. Additionally, Jobcentre Plus handles only a proportion of vacancies notified by employers. Consequently the figures do not represent the total number of job vacancies available in Easington. Jobcentre Plus vacancy data by parliamentary constituency was made available for the first time in June 2005 with back data to November 2004.

Jobcentre Plus

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the time taking to issue new contracts to training providers of Government-funded Jobcentre Plus training programmes.

Margaret Hodge: We are introducing new contracting procedures to reduce bureaucracy and improve performance. Bringing in these changes has been complex and we had to be sure that they delivered the outcomes we wanted.
	New contracts will be in place from July 2006.

Jobseeker's Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls to helplines dealing with claims for jobseeker's allowance (a) were received, (b) were handled, (c) received an engaged or busy tone and (d) were abandoned by the caller in each month since January 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 30 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the calls to helplines for Jobseeker's Allowance, since January 2004. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful if I explain that Jobcentre Plus is introducing a new approach to claiming working age benefits where customers call a contact centre to establish their claim. This approach is being rolled out gradually across the country.
	The information provided in this response relates to these rolled out areas only and covers the period from June 2004 when we started to collate information centrally.
	
		
			  Calls offered Calls answered Calls abandoned(114) 
		
		
			 June 2004 314,085 247,607 68,815 
			 July 2004 414,980 322,863 91,128 
			 August 2004 319,777 253,283 66,891 
			 September 2004 440,131 358,975 75,832 
			 October 2004 321,743 280,409 39,560 
			 November 2004 336,494 296,002 37,790 
			 December 2004 357,550 293,692 63,073 
			 January 2005 410,165 328,861 82,138 
			 February 2005 356,548 305,519 54,074 
			 March 2005 457,642 345,015 111,564 
			 April 2005 400,621 284,399 110,243 
			 May 2005 393,297 291,769 101,057 
			 June 2005 561,180 391,730 168,700 
			 July 2005 525,392 303,090 221,686 
			 August 2005 533,636 280,233 251,922 
			 September 2005 717,701 419,703 296,864 
		
	
	(114) Calls answered and calls abandoned do not equal calls offered, because of short abandoned calls. Short abandoned calls are calls that are abandoned before the end of the greeting message and are therefore not offered to an agent and could never be answered.
	Your question also includes reference to engaged or busy lines. The telephony system used allows calls to enter into a queue without receiving an engaged or busy tone. If all operators are busy an appropriate message is placed on incoming calls and customers are placed in a queue.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of providing interviews, signing on and job referrals for jobseeker's allowance recipients in 2004–05.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my right hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 30 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what the total cost was of providing interviews, signing on and job referrals for Jobseeker's Allowance recipients in 2004–05. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The total cost of providing interviews, signing on and job referrals for Jobseeker's Allowance recipients is not available from our records. The information you require could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Medical Examining Centres

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical examining centres there were in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2005; what plans there are to close any medical examining centres over the next five years; what assessment he has made of (i) average distances and (ii) furthest distances travelled by benefit claimants for medical assessments in each year; and what assistance is available for transport costs.

Anne McGuire: In August 1997 there were 137 medical examination centres (MECs), in December 2001 there were 121, and in July 2005 there were 125. These figures relate to permanent sites. In addition medical services use up to 40 casual hire centres, which are used as and when required.
	Under plans agreed with the Secretary of State, the contractor (Atos Origin) is to close 11 MECs. However, three large regional centres are to be opened to service the areas affected by the MECs closures.
	Information on actual distances travelled by benefit claimants is not collected. However, no customer is required to travel more than 90 minutes each way on public transport to attend a MEC. Where customers cannot get to an examination centre within 90 minutes using public transport, or where it is clear that they would have health-related difficulties in travelling, alternative arrangements are made.
	All claimants who attend an appointment at a MEC are entitled to claim full reimbursement of pubic transport fares or where they have travelled by other means, such as by car, expenses can be claimed at set rates. Details of expenses which can be claimed are sent to the customer with their appointment documentation.

National Insurance Number

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers have been issued.

James Plaskitt: There are approximately 72 million national insurance numbers currently in issue. This exceeds current UK adult population because the total includes numbers retained for deceased people, for those in receipt of benefit living outside of the UK and for customers who are abroad.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer questions (a) 18786, (b) 18787, (c) 18634, (d) 18859, (e) 19631, (f) 20012, (g) 21436, (h) 21433, (i) 21437, (j) 21434, (k) 21441, (l) 21445, (m) 21444, (n) 21439, (o) 21442, (p) 21438, (q) 21452, (r) 21451, (s) 21586, (t) 21581, (u) 21582, (v) 21590, (w) 21857, (x) 21962, (y) 21957, (z) 21961, (aa) 24135, (bb) 21854, (cc) 21853, (dd) 21855, (ee) 23680, (ff) 23393, (gg) 24538, (hh) 24540, (ii) 24573, (jj) 24951, (kk) 28422, (ll) 28420, (mm) 28385, (nn) 29986, (oo) 30004, (pp) 30001, (qq) 29988, (rr) 30002, (ss) 30068, (tt) 30064, (uu) 30566, (vv) 29999, (ww) 30066, (xx) 30971, (yy) 31021, (zz) 31208, (aaa) 31196, (bbb) 32506, (ccc) 32505, (ddd) 32250, (eee) 32726, (fff) 33295, (ggg) 33701, (hhh) 33435, (iii) 34170, (jjj) 35360, (kkk) 35371, (lll) 35361, (mmm) 35364, (nnn) 35372, (ooo) 35373, (ppp) 35376, (qqq) 35395 and (rrr) 35359, tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

James Plaskitt: My ministerial colleagues and I have replied to 28 of these 70 questions tabled by the hon. Member.
	We attach importance to answering parliamentary questions promptly and will endeavour to respond to all questions within parliamentary deadlines where possible.

Pathways to Work

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefits in the Pathways to Work pilots have helped back into work since the initiative began.

Margaret Hodge: There have been almost 150,000 people started on the Pathways to Work programme, including 11,200 existing customers. Nearly 80,000 people have attended mandatory work focused interviews. Of these, 17,670 people volunteered to take advantage of the Choices programme.
	With our support, 19,500 people have entered employment, including 3,220 who volunteered to take part in the Pathways initiative. This has resulted in an 8 percentage point increase in people leaving incapacity benefits after six months in the Pathways areas compared to the rest of the country.

Pathways to Work

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Pathways to Work pilots in getting existing incapacity benefit claimants back into work.

Margaret Hodge: The early evidence from our Pathways pilots is extremely positive and indicates that this is the most effective labour market intervention that has been tested anywhere in the developed world.
	All new claimants have to join the pilot, but they can voluntarily select to take advantage of the employment support programmes. 150,000 started on the programme between October 2003 and August 2005 of whom 11,200 were existing customers.
	There have been nearly 80,000 mandatory work focussed interviews. 17,670 voluntarily agreed to take advantage of the Choices package, including 8,540 new deal for disabled people registrations and 7,490 condition management referrals.
	There have been 19,500 job entries, 3,220 from existing customers. As a result there has been an 8 percentage point increase in people leaving incapacity benefits within six months in Pathways areas compared to the rest of the country.

Pensions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to introduce legislation which requires (a) employers to contribute to their employees' pensions and (b) individuals to save for their retirement.

Stephen Timms: The Government is reflecting on the recommendations in the Pensions Commission's second report and is committed to consulting with the public and stakeholders on these key issues.
	No decisions have been taken on any proposed changes and there are no plans to bring forward legislation in the current session of Parliament to reform the pensions system.
	The Government plans to publish a White paper in the spring in response to the Pensions Commission's report. The White Paper will set out what legislation will be needed and a planned timetable for reforms.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have left incapacity benefit since 2001 owing to the receipt of an occupational pension.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available.

Personal Capability Assessment

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken was for the completion of a Personal Capability Assessment for (a) incapacity benefit claimants and (b) income support claimants in each year since 2000.

Anne McGuire: The average examination time taken to complete a Personal Capability Assessment is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Average National PCA Exam Time 
		
		
			 2000 37.8 
			 2001 37.1 
			 2002 35.2 
			 2003 35.8 
			 2004 37.8 
			 2005 37.7 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures provided are in minutes, per calendar year.
	The Personal Capability Assessment for incapacity benefit is identical to that for income support. Separate timings are, therefore, not kept.
	Although an average examination time is provided, doctors spend as long as is required to carry out an appropriate assessment, depending on the nature of the individual's physical and /or mental disabilities.

Private Banks

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has (a) made to and (b) received from private banks regarding those who have been diagnosed as having a terminal illness and face financial hardship.

Anne McGuire: We have not made or received any such representations.

Terminally Ill People

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were diagnosed as terminally ill in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many of those claimed attendance allowance.

Anne McGuire: Information about the numbers of people diagnosed as terminally ill is not available. In the 12 months to 31 December 2005 there were 36,900 claims for Attendance Allowance under the Department's Special Rules" which apply to terminally ill people who have a progressive illness and who are not expected to live longer than six months 1 .
	 1 Source:
	DCS Management Information Service.

Work and Pensions Insurance Office (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to close the Work and Pensions Insurance Office in Central Milton Keynes.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what plans he has to close the Work and Pensions Insurance Office in Central Milton Keynes. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I assume you are referring to the National Insurance number service provided from Bowback House in Milton Keynes. Bowback House is not closing. It is being developed to deliver Social Fund services for the whole of the South East region. However, it will no longer be a designated interview location for National Insurance number applications.
	Under a new process being introduced to improve the National Insurance number allocation process, customers in the South East needing a National Insurance number will telephone a national contact centre where staff will book an interview at a convenient location.

Work-focused Interviews

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the unit costs are of work-focused interviews for (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) income support applicants.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my right hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 30 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what the unit costs are for work-focussed interviews for (a) jobseeker's allowance applicants, (b) incapacity benefit applicants and (c) income support applicants. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The information relating to work-focussed interviews is not gathered separately from the cost of administering benefits. In response to PSA target requirements, we do publish the unit costs for Job Broking and Benefit Processing every year in our Annual Report and Accounts. The PSA unit costs for job broking activities and benefit processing for 2004/05 were as shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Benefit Unit cost (£) 
		
		
			 Job Broking 197.64 
			 Benefit Processing 28.07